english-tamil

Fire Drill

2011-04-14T14:11:00.003-04:00

There was a fire drill today in my office. What's the point of a fire drill if it's planned ahead? Everyone/everything is at their 'best behaviour'. They would have gotten a much more meaningful measurement of whatever -- you know, infrastructure, support systems, mental preparedness etc. -- if they had told us after the fact. Of course, it would have tested some friendships too: “Sorry for pushing you down the stairs! I have a cat who can’t live without me.”

The drill reminded of this sketch.

Day Dream: 'Making a mockery' with Lollu Sabha's Rambhala

2011-02-08T01:50:00.006-05:00

This episode features Rambhala -- writer and director of the 'cult' comedy show Lollu Sabha from Vijay TV. He spoke about many things including: his early days in Vijay TV and how Lollu Sabha came to be; controversies surrounding several episodes including 'Bakery'; about 'Tamil Padam' and his attempts to make it to films. The interview was recorded last Saturday and plays for about 70 minutes. Since it was recorded over cellphone, there's some quality loss but it's mostly negligible, I hope. I'll try to add descriptive timeline soon.

Download mp3

On Rajini's stardom

2011-01-18T11:41:00.011-05:00

This is an extension of an exchange that I had with Zero on twitter from here. I thought I’ll also touch on some things I wanted to talk about during Endhiran’s release.

The general point that everyone seems to agree with is that a star like Rajini and the media feed on each other to push their own agendas. What many don’t quite agree is that the same is true of the fans who are incomparably ‘politicized’ than those of, say, Bagavathar. Whether it’s organic or not, a star’s fan in Tamil Nadu (the one who engages in ‘marketing’), post MGR, mostly tends to have ambitions that far exceed the star/star’s film’s success [1]. The ‘fans’ who sustain the spectacle of fandom created by the former engage in it purely as an act of aggrandized consumption [2]. I think, for these fans, their relationship to the star does in fact offer a rather distorted understanding/experience of the film that isn’t necessarily ‘productive’ (from an understanding they could have had otherwise, even as ‘fans’ of a different kind – different from either). For they both construct a discourse that normalizes the inclusion of a film’s externalities such as ‘budget’ in its appreciation (at least in its most primary mode). Because they know what’s external for the film is, nonetheless, essential for the spectacle.

While it’s true that marketing muscle is an inextricable part of star power, it used to originate from the star -- he’s usually the top of the pyramid. It may not be the case anymore. The star’s image has now been hijacked and remodelled to meet ends that probably don’t serve the star himself. So a different kind of spectacle is manufactured in which the star is an auxiliary mechanism to propel, in this case, the producer. The interesting thing is, there isn’t much resistance to this. Or so it seems, given how many 'fans' actually mention Maaran’s name alongside Rajini. It’s quite an anathema for an erstwhile Rajini fan [3].

The least that can be established is that Rajini’s star power and the ‘marketing muscle’ that he’s supposed to possess ‘naturally’ did not save Baba [4] (let alone the election results in 2004). And there’s little reason to believe that his waning star power gathered momentum, like it did in the 80s, as he aged further from then, by his fans’ efforts or something. While he may have had the potential for resurgence, he probably could not have done it on his own (even with what could be called ‘good’ films). What the Sun corporation has done is to re-articulate the dormant fanaticism of Rajini fandom by suggesting normativity of the exaggerated, and in presenting that it’s both a matter of pride and Tamilness even. The ‘new age’ yuppie fans badly needed the re-articulation to legitimize their publicized indulgence -- and lend some elitist charm -- in activities that were otherwise relegated to the ‘uncultured’ [5].

Shankar’s own claims of grandiosity (especially one that’s perceived in the north Indian media) further exotified -- what is perhaps a matter of shame (my personal opinion) -- the participation in the spectacle of Rajini fandom. Ultimately it translates into a desire to seek the film’s success and break box office records at any cost (literally) in order to sustain the spectacle. This collective participation is enabled by simulating a cloud of consensus in all forms of media. This is the point of departure for ‘real’ star power from what is manufactured.

Notes:

1.That his contemporaries who tried to follow the same model and that only Rajini succeeded to a great extent (intentionally or not) is what sets him apart.

2. It’s not unlike the self-elevation common in other kinds of fan mentality (among certain ‘fans’).

3. It's different from producers/distributors who used to be the auxiliary beneficiaries in Rajini’s older films. This ‘paradigm shift’ is also, incidentally, a mark of public acceptance of corporate greed and profiteering (as discussed in the podcast with Krishna Ananth).

4. It’s debatable (and a different point altogether) as to whether Baba failed because it wasn’t as good as Endhiran. But then, it only undermines the argument of 'star power'.

5. People in videos like this seem to be have been desperate for an excuse to do something like this or it’s just the old ‘bhangra envy’.

Day Dream: News Media Production and Consumption in India

2011-01-13T17:25:00.024-05:00

This is a new podcast program titled pagal kanavu (day dream). The title is open to interpretation but it's generally supposed to reflect the broader motivation behind something like this. The program is done in colloquial Tamil [1].

In this episode:

I talk to writer, journalist, academic, activist Krishna Ananth about 'Radia Tapes' and try to understand the current milieu in which news media are produced and consumed in India and its wider implications. It was recorded about a month ago (I know). I've split the conversation into 3 parts for easy download/listening.

Edit: There seems to be a problem with the audio player embedded earlier (playing part 3 in all players even after editing it several times). I'll try to fix it soon, meanwhile please download and listen from below.

Part 1:

2'-8' 'Radia Tapes' scandal - a well known secret
9'-13' Press's erstwhile approach to corruption
17'-19' Public perception of conteporary news media; corporate power
20'-25 Media outlets' collusive attitude in corporate profiteering
29'-32' Media's actual clout
36'- II Media's contribution to public discourse

Part 2:

'1-6' Media's contribution to public discourse (contd.)
7'-10' People's contradictory expectation of 'real' news and its cynical dismissal
10'-13' Activists, NGOs and lack of alternatives
15'-21' The much apprciated virtues of corporate corruption and 'meritocracy'

Part 3:

1'-7' The 'educated youth'; why some of us complain? What's achieved?
8'-18' Would the marginalized people of urban India turn the Maoist way? Why/why not?
21'-23' The missing ingredient in a large scale anti-establishment movement
23'-29' State and demography of aspiring journalists (media producers).
(There's a small technical problem between 34'-34'40")

Download as mp3: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3.

Notes:
1. It would probably sway between 'proper' Tamil sentences to complete sentences in English depending on the guest.

Tamil Research: vocabulary of Tamil humour

2011-01-10T11:29:00.006-05:00

தமிழர்களின் தற்கால அரசியல் கலை இலக்கிய வாழ்க்கைமுறை பற்றி பெரிய ஆய்வுகள் இல்லை என்ற நிலை போய், இன்று அவர்களின் ஒவ்வொரு அங்கமும் theorize செய்யப்பட்டு வருகின்றது (ஆங்கிலத்தில்). (இதையெல்லாம் யாராச்சும் மொழிபெயர்ப்பு செய்யுங்கப்பா.) இதனால் ஏதும் பலன் இருக்கின்றதா என்றறிய சில பல ஆண்டுகள் ஆகலாம். ஆனால் அவற்றால் பெரிய சேதம் ஏதுமில்லை என்றே நம்புகிறேன். ஆராய்ச்சிக்கு உகந்த பல தலைப்புகளில் இதுவும் ஒன்று என்பது என் எண்ணம்: தமிழர்களின் இன்றைய நகைச்சுவை பேச்சு வழக்கில்(லும்) ஊடுருவியுள்ள திரைப்பட வசனங்கள். கௌண்டமணி காலத்திலிருந்து தொடங்கி இன்று வரை என்று ஒரு இருவது ஆண்டுகள் வைத்தால் முதுகலை பட்டமே தேறும்.

Note: the following is not a translation but has the gist of what's above (and more).

Finding a theoretical analysis of the most prominent aspects of Tamil life -- film, politics, education, caste and lately, 'youth behaviour' -- is no longer a challenging task. The analysis may not be particularly useful for all, but many of them have really valuable field work data. Ironically, though, this apparent burgeoning of Tamil studies is probably not because of the diversification of academic interests among Tamils who are travelling abroad (although they have contributed to it quite a bit). Because, most of the research is actually done by non-Tamil scholars abroad. They probably feel like Darwin when he landed on the Galapagos Islands -- full of peculiar animals with unique behaviour. They had to be 'understood' and explained.

The MGR phenomenon was so peculiar that people like Robert Hardgrave wrote a paper on him four years before he became the Chief Minister. It's almost customary then to dedicate a small section if not an entire chapter to MGR (and Rajnikanth) even if the research is on ecological preservation of the Nilgiris. Essential or not, Tamil films are being studied and its salient features are scholastically documented and deconstructed. One area that hasn't still received its due attention is perhaps Tamil film humour and its influence on Tamil speakers' vocabulary.

I haven't lived in the 'west' long enough to know if there were verbal memes like 'more cowbell' before the 'explosion' of media sharing websites. But I have lived through the good years since Youtube's launch (and similar sites around the same period) to suggest that memetic humour here -- in 'real' life -- is very often inspired by 'regular people' in the internet than films. It is quite unlike what is prevalent among Tamil speakers.

Two very obvious reasons I could think of: 1. Lack of programmes dedicated to (re)airing funny clips from films (Tamils now have an entire channel dedicated for that). It's only after youtube[1] you have a space where a specific moment is replayed and recursively referenced to elevate a funny moment/dialogue/expression from a film to a meme. 2. Most English films do not lend themselves to be clipped the way Tamil films do. What is called a 'comedy track' in most Tamil films are sketches within a film; they do not in anyway affect the linearity of the main narrative. So people don't have to establish the plot context, characters' specific idiosyncracies etc., to enact a scene and evoke some cheap laughter. I haven't seen 90% of the films that feature Vivek and Vadivelu, for example [2]. But I know pretty much all their 'comedy scenes' at least until 2006.

The role of television, as noted above, is very crucial in imbuing film-inspired memetic humour among Tamil speakers. It's further evidenced by the fact that it's virtually impossible to find older people (say above 45) using references from films of their era. If any, it's the younger people who use such lines from old films (ex: 'ek gaun mein'). (And now it's gone meta -- films are ruining it for everyone by using them in their films [3].) An exhaustive study in the field could point to other factors too.

Anyway, what I wanted to say was: it will be an interesting research topic to study film based memetic humour among Tamils (could be in linguistics, film studies, anthropology, cultural studies etc.). And the reason I wrote a less than half-assed proposal type blogpost with so much obvious detail -- much longer than the Tamil version -- is to make life harder for someone who already thought of it and is working on an actual thesis proposal (haha, sucker!).

Notes:

1. Again, I used Youtube only as an identifier for all such sites.
2. I probably have seen 90% of Goundamani's films in their entire length.
3. 'enna kodumai sir idhu,' first featured in Chennai 28, is perhaps the most sucessful in recent times. Aside: to say Nayanthara is disgusting when she tries to be funny by saying "vandhuttanya, vandhuttanya!" is being very kind.

Some(thing) about a dog

2011-01-06T12:54:00.006-05:00

(Read bottum up.)

பெண்களுடைய அலறலும் குமுறலும் இல்லாமல் என்னய்யா thriller? ச்ச, இதைக்கூட புரிஞ்சுக்காம இருந்தா நானெல்லாம் படம் பாத்து என்ன புண்ணியம்?

29 Jul

..wait, it's a 'thriller' about women getting abducted in Madras? thoo! But it's true, you cannot make a thriller without victimizing women.

29 Jul

"A 90 mins thriller with no songs and background score," says Gautham Menon -- oh no, I may have to show some respect to this guy...

29 Jul

...and தொட்டி நாய்கள் (you know, from Reservoir Dogs) is still available for registration?

28 Jul

Gautam Menon's next film is titled 'Nadunisi Naaygal' (நடுநிசி நாய்கள்). I hope the story is not about the time he got bit by a bunch of...

28 Jul

ps. I might remove one of the tags later

Health

2010-12-21T12:59:00.005-05:00

Today a 50 something colleague had invited all of us in the office for a some kind of post-funeral 'traditional lunch' for her father's death. She had reserved a meeting room and laid out some food on the table -- bagels, muffins, croissants and some kind of pastry. I felt hesitant to eat anything so I just stood there waiting my turn go talk to her. Some of us were trying hard to feign sorrow while others were just channeling their hunger to their facial expression. I probably looked like I was really puzzled by the irony of life but I, too, was just 'channeling' my apprehension about something else. After a lot of insignificant details about her father's life she seemed to have hit the wall. She had to, her dad was no _____ (fill interesting Russian figure). I saw my chance and I walked up to her and said, "So you don't have any whole wheat bagels?"

Stuck in a loop

2010-11-16T11:44:00.004-05:00

Caught in infinite self-reflexivity -- on my possible unlterior motives and enquiries on how 'I ' could be perceived -- and recursive disclaimers I am not able to say anything about anything. 'Gasquet Fan' once observed that I had become less opinionated. It's almost accurate. Because, it's not necessarily that I've become less opinionated but I am less open to expressing it to everyone. I don't know if it's me or the vocabulary of the 'everyday conversation' has become so much more pretentious in the last 3, 4 years. Even this very assertion (and others like this) invariably comes with a tinge of pretentiousness -- "so what are you? the 'real deal'?" I ask myself, or I hear from my imaginary critics. And this is where it goes into an endless spin of substantiation and clarification. In this era of information saturation everyone 'knows' everything. Some, in spite of that realization, write stuff like this (blogpost), to somehow differentiate themselves.

I had written till the end of the last paragraph last week and stopped. Conincidentally, TVO had a discussion on 'The Authenticity Hoax'. Don't agree with a lot of what the author says (well addressed by some of the panelists) but it's just the kind of second hand 'wisdom' needed to publish this post:

The thing that I won't mention

2010-10-15T12:58:00.005-04:00

The thing I won't mention is the thing there's been so much hysteria about; as it usually happens with the one that's present in the new thing. It's slightly louder when it's also made by the other one (like the last time it happened). There's no pressing need for me or anyone to dissect it in detail immediately. As I usually add, "it's not a film review." Perhaps, those with big 'reach' and influence should so that they can contain the business prospects of the new thing (with good reason). But an analysis doesn't have that urgency. It actually requires that the consumer (of the analysis) have consumed the new thing. So I'll wait. In fact, the new thing's saturation got me completely, subconsciously indifferent to it. And the hysteria has significantly subsided too.

To the troll: for what it's worth, I might end up talking about it regardless of what you say (just as you can't stop fantasizing about you and the one doing whatever regardless of what I say). Can't you at least wait until then?

About Postmodernism

2010-10-05T16:06:00.009-04:00

The simplest way to understand is to break the underlying concepts to its simpler components. You might have come across more complex definitions/explanations but for a beginner it may be a little too confusing. So at the risk of being inaccurate (or even incorrect), I'll say this:

Post-modernism is a framework that could be used to identify the nature of something: literature, aesthetics (of a building, painting, sculpture etc.) and other forms of 'human expression'.

In sociology, modernity refers to a historical period (just like enlightenment), roughly from the 15th century to the age of industrial revolution (mid-late 19th century). Modernism may then be understood as rules and forms of expression that was common for this period. However, most scholars argue that specific, identifiable characteristics emerged or were prominent between the late 18th century and early 20th century.

What are these characteristics? It varies depending on the field of enquiry. Lets take fiction, for example: how was fiction written? Was it linear/non-linear? Did the protagonist always the one whose point of view guided the narrative? Did it reject the zeitgeist of the day? Did it ponder the wider realities of existence than those set within the teleological complexities of the then human society? etc.

(One can do some reading on exactly what those characteristics were for, say, literature. Similarly, you'll find a set of characteristics for modernist architecture.)

Again, we need to keep in mind that the time period where they became prominent is not all that relevant as much as the characteristics themselves. Some of Nietzsche's writings could be categorized as postmodern even though they were written in the 19th century. Nevertheless, postmodernism can also have a temporal identifier because of the particular time period when its (supposed) charcteristics became predominant.

So if you know what the modernist characteristics of literature are, you can then identify another as postmodernist or not by checking its non/conformity.

Where it becomes a bit more complex is when we try to apply the framework on works that may not fit the Western context. The general debate among 'local' scholars has been about identifying some of the contemporary works -- say, films -- as postmodern because of its relationship to the nature of most films in Tamil/India or whichever 'micro-context' one is talking about. Yes they reject the 'norm' but what is the norm? If the norm itself isn't modernist (more like victorian), how could its rejection be called postmodernist? Where are its reflexive nodes situated?

But there are also several instances where the framework seemingly fits in very well because of their conformity to the western characteristics of postmodernism. This complexity arises, among others things, from the dichotomous 'growth' that many post-colonial, less-industrialized societies have gone through. Where the life and living conditions' 'diversity' allows the materialist existences to operate in one level (in pre-modern and even medieval conditions) and the mind and quasi-materialist (such as books and music) to exist in another.

Regardless of what 'it is', what it's been made to be is less than interesting. In its current usage 'postmodern' may not necessarily be a worthwhile categorization at all. Because, many of what we do and perceive as good/bad aesthetically and otherwise is firmly rooted in modernism. This is why Giddens would rather call it late-modern. Besides, it's not even a label that makes something readily identifiable, even in the broadest terms (like calling something Marxist). But given its extensive usage by all kinds of wannabes, it is most likely to be understood as this: postmodern something = crap.

No country for feudalism

2010-08-05T14:08:00.006-04:00

I was trying to find if it was writer Sujatha who first used the word 'robo' in Tamil. Even though his novel was titled 'en iniya iyanthira', I suspect that he might have used robo as well. I haven't got hold of the novel yet, but I landed on something else ('kanayaaliyin kadaisi pakkangal' - கணையாழியின் கடைசிப் பக்கங்கள்). I've read parts of the compilation before. It is archival history, if nothing else. This time I read a column (Nov, 1975) in which he talks about Shyam Benegal's film Nishaant. He concludes his brief 'review' of the film with this question (among others): what is the relevance of (a film about?) feudalism at a time when the socialist state has eroded it? (Actual quote: ஃப்யூடளிசம் என்பது தற்காலத்தில் சோசியலிச சர்கார் வந்து தேய்த்துவிட்ட சூழ்நிலையில் எவ்வளவு தூரம் relevant?)

I don't know if he's talking to the feudal lords or film makers. Either way, is he serious?

Vetti post 14: youtube, nudity etc.

2010-07-23T14:15:00.010-04:00

Aug 8, Update: Elanko has made a post that gathered all our tweets and others. It should give you the context for this exchange.

{{அதுபோல‌ நீங்க‌ள் ஏன் நிர்வாண‌ப்ப‌ட‌ங்க‌ள் வ‌ந்த‌போது யூரியூப்பிற்கு முறையிட‌வில்லையா என‌ என்னிட‌ம் கேட்டிருந்தீர்க‌ள். என‌க்கு அது ஒரு பிர‌ச்சினையாக‌ இல்லாத‌போது நான் ஏன் முறையிட‌வேண்டும். அவ்வாறு முறையிட‌ நானொரு க‌லாசார‌வாதியும‌ல்ல‌.}} --

இளங்கோ, எனது நிலைப்பாட்டை நான் தெளிவாக ஏற்கனவே தெரிவித்துவிட்டேன், ஆனால் உங்களுக்கு அது தவறான புரிதலையே (மீண்டும்) உண்டாக்கி இருக்கிறது. மேலே நீங்கள் கூறியுள்ளது ஒரு உதாரணம். நான் கேட்ட கேள்வியின் அர்த்தம், உங்களுடைய ரசனை/ஒழுக்கம் பற்றியது அல்ல, youtube'இன் நடவடிக்கை முறை பற்றியது.

Youtube சட்டத்திற்கு உட்பட்டுத்தான் எதையும் செய்ய முடியும். அந்த வகையில் நீங்கள் விரும்பாத -- youtube விதிமுறைகளுக்கு உட்பட்டு -- ஒரு படத்தை நீக்கக் கோரினால் அவர்கள் நீக்கியே ஆக வேண்டும். இல்லையென்றால் "எங்களுக்கு அப்படி ஒரு படம்/படத்தில் இன்ன சமாச்சாரம் இருந்ததே தெரியாது" என்று நீதிமன்றத்திடம் சொல்ல முடியாது ("copyrights சம்மந்தப்பட்ட பல வழக்குளில் அவர்கள் குறிபிட்டுள்ள காரணம் அதுவே). Born free 'யை நீக்கக் கோரி பலர் கேட்டிருக்கூடிய பட்சத்தில் அது நீக்கப்படவேண்டிய படமே (as per youtube's rules).

எது நிர்வாணம், எது அரை-நிர்வாணம் என்பதற்கும் சட்டரீதியான அளவுகோல்களையே அவர்கள் கொண்டுள்ளார்கள் என நான் நினைக்கிறேன். மெல்லிய ஆடை அணிந்தாலும் 'tehnically not naked' என்று நீதிமன்றத்தில் வாதாட வாய்பிருக்கிறது. (அமெரிக்க சட்டப்படி ஆண்கள் மார்பகத்தை காட்டுவதும் பெண்கள் மார்புகளைக் காட்டுதலும் ஒன்று இல்லைதான். மேலாடையே அணியாமல் nipples மீது மட்டு ரெண்டு sticker ஒட்டிக்கொண்டால் அது nudity இல்லைதான்.) சட்டங்களும் நீதிமன்றகளும் அப்படி இருக்கையில் youtube'ஐ மட்டும் குறை சொல்லி என்ன பயன்? (எது graphic violence என்பதும் அது போன்றதே.)

உண்மையில் நடக்கும் வன்முறையை "gratuitous violence" என்று வகைப்படுத்த முடியாது. அதே போல born free படத்தில் வருபவை உண்மை நிகழ்சிகளை அடிப்படையாகக் கொண்டவையா என்பது அவர்களை பொறுத்தவரை -- சட்டப்படி -- தேவை/சம்மந்தம் இல்லாதது. (உங்களின் கூற்று எனக்கு புரியாமல் இல்லை, ஆனால் விவாதத்தின் பொருட்டு..). அமெரிக்கர்களுக்கு கழிவிரக்கம் உண்டாகும் வகையிலான எண்ணற்ற வன்முறை படங்களை மட்டும் அனுமதித்து விட்டார்களா என்ன? (அமெரிக்க பிணைக்கைதி ஒருவர் கழுத்தை அறுத்துக் கொலை செய்யும் படம் ஒரு உதாரணம்)

ஆக நீங்கள் அவர்கள் நிலையின் முரணாகக் கருதும் எல்லா வீடியோ'களையும் அப்படித்தான் பார்க்க முடியும். அதாவது, அவர்களுக்கு தெரிந்தே அது இருக்கின்றதா/அவர்களின் விதி முறைகளுக்குள் இருக்கின்றதா என்று?

அடுத்து நீங்கள் கூறும் "அவசியமான பொழுது". இது என்னவென்று அனுமானித்து நான் முன்னரே இதற்கு தர்க்க ரீதியான பதில் சொல்லிவிட்டேன். ஆனால் மீண்டும் பேசுவதில் பிரச்சனை இல்லை.

நீங்கள் சொல்லும் "அவசியமான பொழுது" காட்சி வடிவத்திலான தீவிரமான அமெரிக்க/ஏகாதிபத்திய எதிர்ப்பு எனில், அவ்வாறன எந்த படத்தையும் youtube'இல் பார்க்க முடியாது -- நீங்கள் சொல்வது இதுதான் என்று வைக்கலாமா?

இப்போது இந்தக் கூற்றை மருதளிக்கும்ம் எத்துனை ஆதாரங்களை கொண்டு வரட்டும்? Wikileaks தளத்தின் அணைத்து (கிட்டத்தட்ட) படங்களும் youtube'இல் உள்ளது. சமீபத்தில் வெளியான 'ஈராக் செய்தியாளர்கள் படுகொலை' உட்பட. இது போல பல உதாரணங்களை அடுக்க முடியும்.

இனையம் என்ற ஊடகத்தில் இம்மாதிரியான சந்தேகங்கள் எவ்வளவு சரியானவை என்பது அடுத்த கேள்வி. Youtbe is owned by Google. The same company that takes to you to MIA's video page (in VIMEO and Dailymotion) when searched for Born Free. The results are not even sidlined, it's right on top.

ஆனால் இப்படி இருக்கவும் வாய்ப்புள்ளது: மாயா பாடல்களை வெளியிட்டுள்ள Universal Group முன்னைய காலங்களில் youtube 'இற்கு பெரும் தொந்தரவு கொடுத்தது. அதற்கு பழி தீர்க்க மாயா ஒரு சாக்காக பயன் பட்டிருக்கலாம். ச்ச, MIA ஏன் Universal Group'ஓடு வேலை செய்கிறார்?

மற்றோர் விடயம் (for arguement's sake): புணர்ச்சி, nudity, போன்றவற்றை பார்க்க பல நூறு free porn sites வந்துவிட்ட நிலையிலும் youtube'இல் அவை இருக்க வேண்டிய அவசியமென்ன? நாமெல்லாம் இன்னமும் ஆடைகள் அணிந்துகொண்டுதானே வெளியே செல்கிறோம்? அதாவது, நாம் இன்னும் இடம் பொருள் ஏவல் சார்ந்த ஒழுக்க/அற முறைகளைப் பற்றிக் கொண்டுதானே இருக்கிறோம்? (அது சரியா தவறா என்பது வேறு விடயம்) அது போல இணையத்தைப் பொறுத்தவரை youtube 'ஐ அனைவரும் 'ஆடை அணிந்த' இடமாக வைத்திருப்பதில் என்ன முரண்? சிறுவர்களுக்கு 'I am 18 years old' என்று அந்த button'இல் கிளிக் செய்ய எவ்வளவு நேரம் பிடிக்கும்? நாம் இன்னமும் சிறார்க்கு ஒரு ஒழுக்கம், பெரியோருக்கு ஒரு ஒழுக்கம் என்ற நிலையில்தான் இருக்கிறோம். அதைக் கடக்காதவரை (கடந்தே ஆகவேண்டும் என்றில்லை) இதுபோன்ற நிலை நீடிக்கத்தான் செய்யும்.

Addendum : நீங்கள் குறிபிட்டுள்ளதுபோல் Youtube மீதான விமர்சங்களை வைப்பது அவசியமே. Youtube ஒன்றும் விமர்சனங்களுக்கு அப்பாற்பட்டது அல்ல. ஆனால் நம் விமர்சனங்கள் சீராக இல்லாது போனால் அது நம் நம்பகத்தன்மயைதன் குறைக்கும்.

Disclosure: இதில் நீங்கள் MIA'வின் வெளிபடையான ரசிகன், நான் அவரின் விமர்சகன் என்ற அளவில் இந்த விவாதம் disclosure செய்துகொள்வது நலமென்று எண்ணுகிறேன்.

August 9, update: Ilanko's Reply

August 9, update 2: My reply

இளங்கோ,

நீங்கள் குறிபிட்டுள்ள பலதுடன் உடன்படும் அதே வேளையில் இன்னமும் உங்கள் விவாத்தபுள்ளியும், எனதும் சற்றே வெவ்வேறு இடங்களில்தான் இருக்கின்றன -- இந்தக் குறிப்பிட்ட தொடரை பொறுத்தவரை. நான் முதலிலிருந்தே கூறிவருவது ஒன்றுதான்: MIA 'வின் பாடல் அவர்கள் (youtube ) விதிமுறைகளை அவர்கள் எப்படி அர்த்தம் கொள்கிறார்களோ அதன் அடிப்படையில்தான் நீக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதில் சில சமயங்களில் முரண்பாடுகள் இருந்துள்ளன. அனால், அது வேண்டுமென்றே உள் ஆதாயத்தொடுதான் MIA 'வின் விஷயத்தில் நடந்தேன்று நான் நினைக்கவில்லை. (நீங்கள் இதை மறுப்பதற்கு உதாரணமாக அளித்த அணைத்து படங்களும் -- சிங்கள இராணுவர் தமிழ் கைதிகளை நிர்வாணப்படுத்தி சுட்டு தள்ளுவது உட்பட -- youtube 'இல் இருக்கின்றன)

"ஆக‌வே பெருநிறுவ‌ங்க‌ள் த‌ங்க‌ளைக் காத்துக்கொள்ள‌ எதையும் செய்யும்." -- பெருநிறுவனங்களுக்கும் தங்களை யாரிடமிருந்தோ "காத்துக்கொள்ள" வேண்டிய அவசியம் உருவாகின்றதை நீங்களும் ஒப்புக்கொள்கிறீர்கள். அந்த யாரோ சிலரில் சட்டமும் ஒன்று. சட்டம், சட்ட நடைமுறைப்படுத்தல், நீதிமன்றங்கள் போன்றவற்றின்மேலான பெருத்த அவநம்பிக்கை இருந்துமே இதைச் சொல்கிறேன்.

பெரிய கம்பனிகள் சட்டத்திற்கு பயந்துதான் எல்லாவற்றையும் செய்கிறார்கள் என்று நான் சொல்லவில்லை. ஆனால் அவர்கள் சட்டத்திற்கு அப்பாற்பட்டவர்களும் அல்ல. ஒரு பெரிய corporation'ஐ பொறுத்தவரை எல்லாமே வரவு செலவுதான். அவர்கள் சட்டத்தை ஏய்க்க முயற்சி செய்தாலும் சரி, தண்டனை (தொகையை) அனுபவித்தாலும் சரி, வரவு செலவு என்ற கணக்கில்தான் பார்பார்கள். வழக்கை இழுத்தடிக்க ஆண செலவு, இறுதியாக வழங்கப்பட்ட தொகை என்று இறுதியில் நட்டமே -- அதாவது இலாபத்தில் குறைவு (இதில் ஆரம்பம் முதலே சட்டத்தை தெரிந்தே ஏய்த்து, பின்னாளில் மாட்டிக்கொள்ளும் scenario அடங்காது). அந்த வகையில் சட்டச் சிக்கலில் உழல்வது அவர்களுக்கு உவப்பானதல்ல. இதுதான் நான் கூற வந்த விடயம். (உண்மையில், youtube born free போன்ற படங்களை அனுமதிப்பதால் எந்த சட்டசிக்கலுக்கும் உள்ளாகாமல் கூடப் போகலாம். நன் முன்கூரியவை தர்க்கம் சார்ந்தது.)

Youtube 'இன் இலாப நோக்கை நான் எப்போதும் மறுக்கப்போவதில்லை. உண்மையைச் சொன்னால், MIA 'வின் பாடல் ஒரு குறிப்பிட்ட நுகர்வு வட்டத்தைக் கவரக் கூடியதே (consumers of 'counter-culture'). அது மட்டுமில்லாமல், அந்தப் பாடல் ஏற்படுத்திய சர்ச்சை காரணமாக வழக்கத்தை விட அதிக hits கிடைத்திருக்கலாம் (அதாவது அதிக விளம்பர வருமானம்). அப்படி இருந்தும் அவர்கள் MIA 'வின் பாடலை தடை செய்ய அவரின் அரசியல் தான் காரணம் என்றால், நாம் அதற்கு மேலதிக ஆதாரத்தை வைத்தலே சரியாக இருக்கும். அதுவும் vimeo போன்ற தளங்களில் இருக்கும் படத்தை Google முதலாவதாக சுட்டிக்காட்டும்பொழுது.

The question is simple: was Born Free's removal consistent with other videos that have been removed based on the same 'rules'. Whether those rules are good/bad is a different issue (even though I've made some points about it).

எது சிறார் மனதை பாதிக்கும், எது உண்மையான வன்முறை போன்றவை இந்த விஷயத்தின் மைய விவாதத்திற்கு அப்பாற்பட்டவை. சில நாட்கள் முன் இங்கு CBC வானொலியில் அது விவாதிக்கப்பட்டது (July 30, Q). Youtube'இல் ஒரு பெண் நிர்வானமாய் வரும் படம் முதலில் நீக்கப்பட்டு குறிப்பிட்டளவு எதிர்ப்பு கிளம்பியதன் காரணமாக மீண்டும் சேர்க்கப்பட்டது. ஆக Youtube 'இன் செயற்பாடுகள் ஒரு நேர்கோட்டில் இல்லைதான். ஆனால் இந்த 'நேர்கொட்டின்மையில்' எனக்கு ஏகாதிபத்தியம் சார்ந்த உள்-ஆதாயம் எதுவும் தென்படவில்லை. பொதுவாகவே இந்த விவாதம் பலரால் பலமுறை பல கோணங்களில் நின்று விவதிக்கப்பட்டதுதன் - எது கலை, எது கிளர்ச்சி ஊட்டக்கூடியது, எது வன்மறையை தூண்டவல்லது etc. இதில் நான் புதிதாகக் கூற ஏதுமில்லை.

நீங்கள் கூறியுள்ள மற்ற பல விடயங்களும் விவாத்தின் மையப் புள்ளியிலிருந்து விலகியே நிற்கின்றன. இருந்தாலும் அவைபற்றி என் சுருக்கமான கருத்துகளை/கேள்விகளை வைக்கிறேன்.

Youtube'இல் MIA பற்றி இருக்கும் அவதூறான மறுமொழிகள்: இது MIA'கு மட்டும்மல்ல, அனைவருக்கும் பொருந்தக் கூடியதுதான். அமெரிக்காவில் character assasination, libel போன்றவற்றிற்கு பெருமளவு சுதந்திரம் உள்ளது. இதற்கும் youtube வேறுவகையான அளவுகோல்களை கொண்டுள்ளது -- அவற்றையும் பெருமளவு பார்வையாளர்கள் பொறுப்பில் விட்டுள்ளது. மறுபடியும் அதே கேள்விதான்: MIA பற்றிய அவதூறுகள் மட்டும்தான் இருக்கின்றனவா?

"'என‌து இசையை காசிற்கு விற்க‌ விருப்ப‌மில்லை' என‌த் தெளிவாக‌க் கூறியிருக்கின்றார் என்ப‌தையும் க‌வ‌ன‌த்திற் கொள்ளாவேண்டும். " -- இது மிகவும் வேடிக்கையான வாசகம் இல்லையா? அவரின் பாடல் தகடுகள் இலவசமாகக் கிடைத்தனவா? அல்லது, அவரின் தளத்தில் போய் அனைவரும் இலவசமாக download செய்துகொள்ள முடியுமா? (Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead போன்றோரை இங்கே ஒப்பிட்டுப் பார்க்கவும்.) மாயா Universal உறவு பற்றி நீங்கள் இன்னும் கொஞ்சம் ஆராய வேண்டும், அது வெறும் "கணவர் சம்மந்தப்பட்ட" விஷயம் அல்ல.

சரி, அவரின் வருமனாம் அனைத்தையும் ஏதோ தொண்டு நிறுவனத்திற்கு வழங்கிவிடுவார் என்று வைத்தாலும், அதே காரணத்தை Warren Buffet, Bill Gates போன்றவர்களுக்கும் பொறுத்த வேண்டும் அல்லவா (அவர்களும் தங்கள் சம்பாத்தியத்தின் பெரும் பகுதியை 'நன் கொடைக்கு' வழங்கியுள்ளார்கள்)?

MIA'வின அரசியலை முழுதும் நிராகரிக்கும் பொருட்டு இதைக் கூறவில்லை. அவரிடமிருக்கும் கோட்பாட்டு ரீதியான முரண்களை கண்டுகொள்ளுதல், அவரது ஆளுமையை சரியாக (மிகையின்றி) அளவிடுதல் அவசியம். அதேபோல Youtube'இன் விதிமுறைகளை ஆதரிக்கும் பொருட்டு இவ்விவாதத்தை தொடங்கவில்லை என்பதையும் நீங்கள் அறிவீர்கள் என்று நம்புகிறேன். MIA ஏதோ கட்டுபடுத்தப்பட வேண்டிய, அபாயகரமான அமெரிக்க/ஏகாதிபத்திய எதிர்ப்பாளர், புரட்சியாளர் போலவும், அதற்காகவே அவரை youtube குறிவைத்தது என்ற தோற்றத்தைக் கேள்விப்படுதவே எனது எதிர்வினைகள். நீங்கள் நினைப்பது போல் அதன் அரசியல் ஒன்றும் அவ்வளவு உக்கிரமானதோ, புதுமையனாதோ அல்ல. இதுபோல் நிறையப் பார்த்தாயிற்று (youtube'இலேயே).

Colour, Power and Weapons.

2010-06-29T14:39:00.015-04:00

A month ago, when a white man on his bike said "that's what you do in your country
eh?" with a mock Indian accent for 'jaywalking' on an empty road, I was angry and agitated. I even started chasing him; as if to hold him by his neck and 'educate' him. I don't know if I chased him to give him a lecture on Canada's history or just push him under an oncoming vehicle. Unfortunately/fortunately he had the green and pedalled away fast. It wasn't directed at me per se; it was my brown colleague who made him slow down (only slightly). But it didn't matter because that's why it’s an insult: stripping our individualities and reducing it to our skin colour. The whole thing left me enervated. It was a punch below the belt and I didn't get a chance to give it back in kind. The anger in those moments is quite blinding and probably beyond normal, rational analysis. And I think that's the potency of racism, casteism, sexism etc. There's no immediate, equally strong response to any of those insults, except, perhaps, literal, physical violence. When something similar happened today with a non-white man with an accent I felt angry but also terribly perplexed.

It happened in a mini-mart like store in Downtown Toronto -- notorious for bikes getting stolen in minutes of leaving them. I had forgotten my u-lock and had to buy a temporary wire lock from the store.

I said, very politely, "Do you mind if I get my lock first, my bike is outside unlocked."
He replied, quite rudely, "That's not how it works in Canada my friend. In Canada people wait in line."
- "I know enough about Canada, I'll just wait"
"You wouldn't let me do it if I were in India, would you?"
- "How does it even matter? How would you know I'm from India? I could be from Sri Lanka or Bangladesh, or even born here. You don't have to be a pathetic racist, you could just say no," I said, with discernible anger.

The brown woman at the register who also looked annoyed by his comments joined immediately and said, "look, why are you talking about India now? If you don't want to let him through just say that, don't talk about unnecessary things." She's probably from India, or Pakistan. It didn't matter. There was a moment of apparent 'brown solidarity'. Except that the man was, well, brown..ish. He continued to say something that I don't quite recall, but he mentioned Canada at least twice again, and it made me say, "I didn't say anything about where you're from, just get your stuff, I will wait"
"You want to know where I am from?" he asked.
- "I just said I don't care…I don't care where you're from"
"I'm an Arab"
- "It's irrelevant, I don't care"

Not wanting to worsen the situation, I stopped talking further and waited for him to buy his smokes (one from each kind, about 20 in all) and leave. (And I need to add that others have, in the past, asked me to get ahead because they were in a rush. So the whole thing was unusual for me.)

Apart from his non-whiteness there was one other thing visible: he was much bigger than I. I couldn't help but think that his size and mine -- an awareness of that difference -- contributed a great deal to his tone, his thought process. His demeanour suggested that he's the classic bully who has lugged his body around to establish some kind of authority since he was young. At that moment he even pulled in the "way things are done in Canada -- a 'developed' country" rhetoric to legitimize it.

Both the incidents underscore the sense of authority and legitimacy assumed by seemingly different people. In the first case, it was a white Canadian who was probably motivated by his sense of entitlement over "his country". "The mighty, prosperous land of Canada that was built by the white-man in the last 200 years. Damn those native savages who arrived here before us, becoming a moral inconvenience. Damn these coloured bastards who sully its richness and beauty. Why do we let these people in? And why can't the natives just die off already?" Besides, the white man always belongs, wherever he is. So yes, Canada's history (or American history, if one draws a parallel) is irrelevant for his apparent indignation, for he's white.

The second case is a little less straightforward. It's an Arab who wants to tell me (and others whenever he gets a chance, I presume) that he's the intelligent/civilized/cultured immigrant Canada needs. Someone who absorbs the 'Canadian way of life' and demonstrates it to brutes and FOBs like me (at least according to him)[1]. It's either just that or mixture of that and an Arabian sense of superiority over Indians (by skin colour, by migrant labourers or simply history). He might have heard that Canadians are also nice, but why be nice when he's big? For power only looks for elements, in anything, to compound itself, not undermine[2].

What's more interesting is that on both occasions I was in my office attire. And the first time neither my colleague nor I said a word. I might as well have been a Canadian citizen, it wouldn’t have changed anything. It's incidents like these that remind one of the absurdity behind nationalities on the street. There are no nations, only colours and to lesser extent accents. Beyond that, an AK strapped to my back would have made some difference too, perhaps.
---------------------------------------
Notes:
1. Such behaviour is not particularly unique to any one ethnicity, of course. Since I managed to stay off of the ‘mainstream Desi’ folk for almost five years, I’ve avoided the gratuitous condescension one experiences among them.
2. A big man intimidating smaller men/women has an evolutionary history, just as it does for all animals. But because humans have gotten ‘civilized’, too, these situations present the classic conflict between civility and rationality, and animal instinct. A self-introducing lethal weapon is the balancing factor that puts the smaller man/woman back on level. Inducing paranoia over vehicle sabotage, poisoning etc., may work too. Would like to write more on this, but I need go prepare dinner for my tall neighbour.

Groundbreaking Material

2010-05-21T16:06:00.004-04:00

I was listening to Sarah Silverman on Q earlier this morning. She noted that her brand of humour draws its inspiration from her swearing when she was a toddler. She said her dad used to teach her swear words for the fun of it and all others would react positively and laugh when she mouthed them. As she grew up it's her gender that took that toddler’s place – extrapolating a little here. It's somewhat shocking for a man to do/say ‘those’ things, but it’s outrageous when it’s a woman (outrageously funny, too, quite often). Her approach to political humour is often to assume the bigoted ignoramus and make exaggerated arguments for/against something ('uncle' Ruckus from The Boondocks is a good archetype). It is subversive but more importantly it avoids the self righteous tone that could subdue the critique's potency.

Meanwhile comedians in Tamil television continue to do groundbreaking material by impersonating 'Rajini sir' and 'Kamal sir'.

Vetti Post - 13

2010-05-13T01:34:00.001-04:00

a. Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachan can't act.

b. Vikram hams it up.
c. The story is stale (is this the 'straight' version of Roja?)

d. Mani Ratnam's understanding of politics (or anything, for that matter) is superficial.

e. A.R. Rahman needs to update his software.

Of course, none of this matters when there are so many fan-boys in India and abroad. Too bad the film 'isn't ready' for this year's IIFA. But Ratnam doesn't have to worry. I'm sure Amitabh Bachan will find a better place, like Tel Aviv, for his next film's premiere.

Idli and protein

2010-05-11T16:31:00.009-04:00

A segment on random TV show on Indian food: A 'typical' US return Madras brahmin woman said, "this is what all vegetarians get their protein from", pointing to milky white idlis (so they are not made of brown rice either). Of course, the rest of the family joined in to provide their insights on other benefits of eating idlis. The English speaking 70+ year old said, "this is where I get my facials", sticking her face into the idli cooker whose lid had just been opened. She seemed to feel proud of the complex bio-mechanics (and whatever else) involved in making idlis. Noting her remarkably timed humour, the other female members took turns in getting their 'facials'; just in case the probable white man holding the camera didn't get the joke. I guess that's how vegetarians beat something (already stale) to death.

PS. Shows like this -- that want to 'showcase' a 'typical' Indian family (especially in the South) -- almost always end up with a brahmin family. Be it Bangalore or Madras. Feel free to be amazed by this apparent 'coincidence'.

'நல்ல' நாடுகளும் புகலிட அரசியலும்

2010-04-30T14:44:00.005-04:00

கனடா போன்ற 'நல்ல' நாடுகள் அகதிகளை வரவேற்க பல காரணங்கள் இருந்தாலும் இந்த இரண்டை நான் குறிப்பிட விரும்புகிறேன்:

1. It's a country with below replacement fertility rate. ஆக வெளி ஆட்களின் வருகை இந்த நாட்டிற்கு அவசியமாகிறது (அந்த மூன்று கோடி பேர் , ரெண்டரை ஆகாமல் இருக்க) . அது skilled labour'ஆக மட்டும் இருந்தால் unskilled work செய்ய ஆட்கள் தேவைப் படும். So they extract skilled work through 'processed, selective immigration' and uskilled work through asylum seekers.

2. கனடா, டென்மார்க், நார்வே போன்ற நாடுகளின் ஆதிக்கம் உலக அரசியலில் மிகச் சிறிய அளவே. அவர்கள் மற்ற நாடுகளோடு தங்களின் குடியை (power of their sovereignty) உயர்த்திப் பிடிக்கவும், தங்களது 'அற உணர்வை' (moral superiority) பறைசாற்றவும் அகதிகளுக்கும் இன்ன பிற மக்களுக்கும் புகலிடம் வழங்கப்படுகிறது.

Power of sovereignty:
யார் என்னை அச்சுறுத்துகின்றாரோ அவரை விட வலிமையானவரே எனக்கு பாதுகாப்பளிக்க முடியும். இந்த இயங்கியல் விதியில்தான் புகலிடம் வழங்குவதின் முக்கியமான அரசியல் அடங்கி உள்ளது. இலங்கையிலிருந்து கனடாவிற்கோ, ஆஸ்திரேலியாவிற்கோ செல்பவர்களின் கதி அந்த நாடுகளால் மட்டுமே தீமனிக்கப் படுகிறது. இதில் இலங்கை தலையிட முடியாது. ஒரு நாடு கட்டுப்பாட்டில் உள்ள நிலப்ரதேசம் (நீரும்) எது, அதில் உள்ள மக்களின் நிலை என்ன என்பவற்றை தானே தீர்மானிக்கும் அதிகாரத்தை அவ்வப்போது நிறுவ உதவும் பல வழிகளுள் புகலிடம் வழங்குதலும் ஒன்று.

Moral Superiority:
இதுவரை ஆப்ரிக்க நாடுகள், இலங்கை, சீனா, கியூபா போன்ற நாடுகளிலிருந்து பல லட்சம் மக்கள் ஆண்டு தோறும் 'வளர்ந்த' நாடுகளுக்கு புகலிடம் தேடிச் செல்கிறார்கள் (எதிர் திசையில் எத்துனை பேர் சென்றிருப்பார்கள்?). மேற்கத்திய நாடுகள் ஐ.நா, உலக வங்கி போன்ற நிர்மாணங்களை ஆட்படுத்த இந்த 'moral superiority' முக்கியமான கருவியாகிறது.
மற்ற நாடுகள் இந்த 'அற உணர்வின்' ஆதாயங்களை புரிந்து வைத்தாலும், தன் குடி மக்களைப் பொறுத்தவரை தன் நாடு 'நல்ல' நாடு என்ற கண்ணோட்டம் பேணப்படுகிறது. "உயரிய மனித உரிமைகளை கொண்ட இந்த திருநாட்டை நோக்கி மக்கள் வருவதில் என்ன ஆச்சர்யம்? வந்தாரை வாழ வைக்கும் அமெரிக்கா போன்ற நல்ல நாடு எதைச் செய்தாலும் அது சரியாகவே இருக்கும்," என்று பெரும்பன்மை அமெரிக்கர்கள் ஒருவகை தேசிய உயர்வு மனப்பான்மை மயக்கத்தில் இருக்கிறார்கள். அவர்களை அந்நிலையிலேயே வைத்திருக்க புகலிடம் வழங்குவதெல்லாம் சில்லறை செலவு. அது 'அளவுக்கு' மீறும்போது, அதையும் ஒரு அரசியல் கருவியாகப் பயன்படுத்திக் கொள்கிறார்கள். ஆக எப்படிப் பார்த்தாலும் லாபமே.

குறிப்பு: வினவு வெளியிட்ட இந்ததக் கட்டுரைக்கு எழுதிய மறுமொழியின் பகுதியே இப்பதிவு.

Colonial Relics

2010-04-26T17:25:00.010-04:00

A friend and I were talking about Jairam Ramesh’s remark on the convocation gown. His view was very similar to many who have commented in the TOI site. That it is a meaningless stunt given he wears suit, speaks English and does many things whose roots can be traced to the colonial ‘masters’. Nevertheless, as Jairam Ramesh added, it is a worthwhile debate for educational institutions if not the judiciary.

Clothing, whether forced or ‘chosen’, is a layer that symbolizes the docility rendered to a body that is otherwise (probably) ambivalent about its position in a power structure (Foucault). If there’s a normal way of dressing -- whose ‘normality’ is not static or unproblematic, of course -- and it’s at the centre of a continuum that extends both ways (of gender, morality, authority, sanity, conformity, social class etc.), there are clothes that fall on either side. Nevertheless, not all clothing is likely to lend itself to such binary classification. For example, is a man in his underwear expressing his masculine ‘freedom’ -- bearing his chest -- or just hanging on to his last piece of ‘dignity’? Space becomes an essential component to aide our judgment in such cases.

The ‘academic dress’ (or ‘convocation gown’) is not all that unique to convocations, after all. The judges and lawyers wear something similar (in some countries they still have the curly wigs to go with it). Add few pleats and the burqa is not far either. When it’s a convocation it segregates one from those who are not graduating, unifies those who are graduating, and above all, identifies them as lesser than those who take the podium seats. If you happen to be the unfortunate student of a ‘deemed university’ like Sathyabama, the insult won’t just stop with Jeppiar donning a ‘better’ dress than yours, Dr. Vijay might be there to rub it in deep.

The problem here is not necessarily that the gown is a ‘colonialist relic’ -- which it is -- but that it’s a symbol of servitude students all over the world are haunted by. It is actually apt that there be an honest send off: making obvious the power relationship between the students, teachers and the management. If there happens to be a debate and the universities want to do away with the ‘colonial gown’, I’d recommend a very ‘Indian’ loin cloth for the students and a well ornate sherwani with all the ‘zamindari’ gear, including a whip, for the officials.

PS. Ironic as it is, it’s commonplace to find ‘graduation photographs’ in almost every house that has a university graduate and a nail. I wonder if the ‘masters’ who award the degree -- you know, the likes of Dr. Vijay and Dr. Kamal Haasan -- have their ‘graduation’ photos in their living room. If they did, how is one to differentiate the ‘real’ and the ‘fake’?

Songs

2010-04-26T01:01:00.005-04:00

Watching films on TV -- yesterday it was The Graduate and today it was Dazed and Confused, and You’ve Got Mail -- I'm reminded of the dearth of songs that's available for Tamil movie makers, for montages, cutaways, transitions etc. There have been a few other times when I've lamented the Tamil musicians' failure to branch out of the film industry's overwhelming presence and start making music that was inspired by the myriad emotions humans experience; and not just what a narrow film script 'necessitates'.

English films' use of songs does not just accentuate the scene/moment’s mood but it brings in externalities such as nostalgia. And I'm talking about an honest sense of nostalgia and not just a sophomoric allusion to an era. Some of the recent films made by those who 'come from Madurai' -- their obsession with the 80s -- is case in point. The songs invariably detract, and sometimes divorce, any connection one might have with that specific point, at least momentarily. I think Tamil film songs (not composed for the film itself) are almost incapable of doing anything other than that. The only thing they’ve been able to do, if at all, is make something look funny.

How the World Works: Cognitive Dissonance

2010-03-29T23:29:00.008-04:00

I'll publish the podcast for now and probably add descriptive time line etc., later. This is mostly an (re)introduction.

Listen Now:

Download mp3

PS. As I had mentioned in my last post, it's still a working title. I'll try to settle for something that's a little less heavy handed soon.; just didn't want to get stuck on it for a few more days.

'New' Start

2010-01-13T05:01:00.007-05:00

I've been planning to do a documentary for over a year now, on Dalits in Tamil films. Until last May I just wanted to "finish the paper, present it, and get on with the production." I'm putting it in quotes because I've said it so many times since early 2008 or so. I did present the paper back in May 2009, but nothing has moved forward since then. Hopefully I'll get it done before the end of this year. It's been at the back of my mind so much that I don't need this blogpost to remind me. But at least now I have a written 'announcement' that will help me keep track of things.

Meanwhile, however, I'm planning to do a video series/podcast to snap out of the dry 'creative spell' I've been going through. The working title is 'How the World Works'. I know it sounds rather presumptuous. Nevertheless, as the title suggests, I'll probably talk about/interview people on the forces that are central to the 'human civilization' as it exists today -- historicism, means of production, consumption, art, identity, statehood, human rights etc. Needless to say, a lot of the discussions are likely to border on the perfunctory if not downright stupid. But it's probably a risk worth taking. Worst case...hmmm, I can think of many, but why mention 'em? The best case, on the other hand, is saving humanity from its utterly destructive path; rescuing our most cherished institutions from moral decay; enlightening the masses; and world peace is a possible outcome too (isn't my every action aimed at that?).

I have already sketched out some topics, their corresponding narrative structure, and some people who I'm going to interview (mostly over the phone, I think). So if anyone wants to contribute -- by doing the research for a topic, finding 'experts', or simply be on the other end of a brief conversation -- you're more than welcome. The format I have in mind is fairly rudimentary. One/two talking heads in front of a green screen (which will then be replaced by an 'appropriate' background), accompanied by slides/graphics/movie clips that are common in any televised ppt presentation (watch CSPAN, you'll know). It will be in colloquial Tamil. I don't, however, intend to thrust Tamil 'purity' in these videos. I'm doing it in Tamil because of two reasons: 1. there are much better videos/lecture series in English 2. there aren't many in Tamil (my observation in this podcast still remains largely applicable).

I have to thank CBC Radio and Radio Netherlands for reviving my interest in vid/podcasting. Hopefully I'll get things rolling in a week or two.

Road, Movie: Wanders Aimlessly

2009-09-30T13:51:00.007-04:00

Split Wide Open (SWO) is one of my all time favourites. It is one of the best thematically diverse scripts that came out of India. Looking back, that’s probably the only way you can go about a movie set in Bombay -- where Bombay is not merely where-things-happen, but a forceful shade that colours all the characters in its canvas. It's the only movie of Dev Benegal’s I had seen until I watched Road, Movie. I followed Dev’s blog for quite some time to see if he’s up to something. But mostly to know if the DVDs of English, August and SWO are available (something, I’m sure, Dev is tired of answering). I’ll probably write about the latter in greater detail after watching it again.

Here’s a typical road movie: characters start at some point – geographically and metaphorically – with a particular set of characteristics that defines each character. As they travel, they chance upon few/several experiences that range from mildly funny to outright bizarre. At the end of the journey, all the characters would have had some kind of revelation and their life paths are altered forever. Road movies usually don’t have enough time to develop characters systematically. They are unraveled alongside what they experience on the road. So it’s mostly FYI. It’s silly to ask “what motivates this character to do that?”

For the most part Road, Movie stays true to the tradition. But even for a road movie, Road, Movie doesn’t seem to have the patience to construct a meaningful launch pad; for the events that set things in motion. The director seems to have been keener on getting some chuckles than to make sense of the protagonist’s characterization – his social class, education etc. Vishnu's (Abhay Deol) father is some kind of small business owner who makes hair oil whose smell isn’t all that flattering. He incessantly lectures about the virtues of his hair oil, point by point to his son – including its ability to make men virile – so that he becomes a good salesman (it happens once at the dinner table with all the family members present).

Vishnu plans a brief escape from this apparent torment by offering to help his uncle to deliver a 1940s Chevy truck to a distant town. Set entirely in Rajasthan, the truck and the narrative make pit stops at various plot points that are haphazardly developed. Like any road movie, Road, Movie keeps introducing characters as it progresses. Some are less fleeting than the others. The wisecracking boy from the tea shop (they are all wisecracking, aren’t they?), the older and wiser truck mechanic, and the wandering gypsy woman.

Many of the film’s initial scenes are quite sketchy and structured like an ordinary joke – “two priests and a stripper walk into a bar…” We don’t ask why the priests are with a stripper, we just wait for the punch line to be delivered. The director takes the same liberty throughout the movie. It tries to maintain a satirical tone while dealing with some edgy issues such as police brutality, water shortage and water mafias (a recurring theme from SWO) and the hostile landscape in general. It’s an effort that, perhaps, partly succeeds. Dev Benegal may have strong political views, but it comes across as contrived sermons in this movie (unlike SWO). The role of the moving cinema in all of this is mostly invisible until the end. It serves for a decent montage by then.

Leaving aside its politics and thematic depth, the biggest problem I had with this film was that it was slow. I kept staring at my watch. Maybe it was the damn truck. The jokes and some ‘interesting moments’ work best when viewed with a good theatre audience. In spite some amazing visuals and complementing background score, it failed to keep me engaged – it’s no Lawrence of Arabia. The scenery is simply too tiring for the movie’s pace. And as for acting and dialogues, it’s hit-and-miss. I also got the feeling that Abhay Deol’s ability as an actor is not too broad. He chooses relatively different scripts, but his characters exude the same demeanour – indifferent, uptight and fretful. Well, at least he seems to have a likeable personality.

Addendum: I went for the movie premiere at the TIFF. I’ve often felt that the term ‘creator’s indulgence’ is used loosely. But I think Dev Benegal was a bit self-indulgent with Road, Movie. His answers and body language, post screening during Q&A, suggested that, too. Maybe it’s the stupid ‘desis’ questions that elicited it. They pissed me so much that I’m thinking of doing a short podcast on it. I was eventually able to ask him about the recurring theme I’d mentioned earlier. I’ll try to post the video soon (it’s in really bad quality). Dev has said that he’ll post it too. I feel like saying a lot more about the evening, but I’ll stop here. I’ll say more under comments, perhaps.

English, Tamil: Ideology vs. Reality (3 of 3)

2009-09-29T04:41:00.007-04:00

Bernstein states that the way 'a society selects, classifies, distributes, transmits and evaluates the educational knowledge it considers to be public, reflects both the distribution of power and the principles of social control.’ Habermas and Bernstein, among others, provide some crucial rubrics to understand the complex political processes that underpin the medium of instruction issue in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka -- and similar Indian states -- which carry strong political and ideological overtones. Habermas regards ideology as ‘systematically distorted communication’ and the ‘suppression of generalizable interests,’ where structural features in communities (including language communities) and societies operate to the advantage of the dominant and the disadvantage of subordinate groups. Ideology here is taken to be the values of dominant groups in society that permeate the social structure, with or without the consensus of all. Power, through ideology, is omnipresent in language. And language is a principal means for the operation of power. Going by Gramsci’s notion of hegemony – domination by consent of all parties, including the dominated – language is intimately involved in the manufacture of ideological consent and in turn where power resides.

Tamil Nadu provides for a very insightful case study in this regard. The MOI issue in Tamil Nadu is bound by issues of power, domination, legitimacy and social stratification. Historically, the Tamil region has had an uncomfortable relationship with the Indian union and it was one of the only states that problematized the notion of having a national language – to be used for all official communication and to be used as the MOI in all public schools – and was successful in undermining the idea altogether. But it also gave birth to a political discourse that was obsessed with a rigid Tamil identity. The Dravidian governments have insisted, since then, on the necessity to preserve 'Tamil heritage' and its purported uniqueness. They have expressed concerns over Tamil losing its stature among its own populace.

Even if one does not problematize essentialist notions such as 'Tamil heritage', it is untenable to assume that maintaining Tamil as the primary medium of instruction in public schools would achieve that goal. The government has not done any studies to establish if public schools have produced more ‘authentic Tamils’ than private schools. Both in terms of feasibility and ideological apprehension that Tamil will lose its foothold among its people, the governments’ concerns seem unfounded. The Dravidian parties (DMK and ADMK) have, over the decades, used Tamil to exploit a populist sentiment that is not necessarily reflected on people’s economic aspirations and the means to achieving them. However, this populist sentiment is not peculiar to Tamil politics alone. The mainstream media, especially films, exhibit a dichotomous behavior in which people who speak ‘pure’ Tamil considered to be true to their identity while indirectly maintaining that those who speak ‘good’ English are sophisticated. (This observation is all the more relevant for a state like Tamil Nadu.)

‘Symbolic violence’, Bourdieu says, is when structures of domination in a society are reproduced by imposing cultural values claimed to be universal. English, in this context, maybe argued as an elitist cultural value thrust on the poor and socially backward by creating an illusion of empowerment while simultaneously delegitimizing Tamil’s role in achieving the same. But it is in direct contradiction with macro, external realities such as the difficulties faced by Tamil medium students when they enter the university level and the labour market. The underlying problem is not whether or not English is desired by all sections of the society but whether the State should maintain its exclusivity.

Conclusion:

English linguistic capital continues to be linked to cultural and economic capital and to reproduce the existing stratification of society and schooling. This practice has only become stronger over the years; the recent economic growth driven by the IT industry has re-invented the elite status that English language has long held in India. Students’ performance in private, English medium schools has also legitimized the power exerted by English, further increasing its desirability. Therefore, it is unrealistic to hope that students from Tamil medium schools will be able to compete on a level playing field in the future.

The MOI issue in Tamil Nadu, may also be interpreted through Gidden's structuration theory: where agency (parental aspiration) combines with structure (parents’ cultural background and the school system) to produce and reify social structures and behavior. The successive governments lead by the Dravidian parties, by the way of restricting the MOI to Tamil in most of the public schools, has repressed the agency of those who need it the most – the poor and the backward classes. The political elites of Tamil Nadu – primarily from the Dravidian parties – have created a landscape that has normalized several false dichotomies.

The purported significance of a Tamil identity, it can be argued, is no more than a hegemonic thrust of a moralistic ideology that marginalized the fundamental aspirations of a people who were already politically and economically disenfranchised, especially the SC/ST. The DMK’s vision of empowering the masses by reclaiming the Tamil identity has been farcical at best. It laid a heuristic obstacle by creating dead ends to students who were indirectly forced to go through Tamil-medium schools. Tamil’s virtual absence in universities and colleges stand testament to this claim. The language policy is underpinned by the oversimplification of Tamil ethnic identity to medium of instruction in schools. A point that needs to be contrasted with the fact the much of the modern exposure of Tamil, as a language and a cultural entity, has been fuelled by social and technological development rooted in English.

A State that envisions an egalitarian society – that makes policy reforms to accommodate lower castes by quotas and other such reservation systems – should also take into account the interests of the wider public in other critical issues. Regardless of what percentage of people choose English-medium schools – if given the choice – the state government’s role in forcing them one way or the other is questionable. In a state with such visible stratification based on caste structures, the State needs to democratize the educational system in a way that reflects the current priorities of the people.

English, Tamil: The 'modernization' agenda (2 of 3)

2009-08-17T12:08:00.013-04:00

A significant problem in using languages such as Tamil as the medium of instruction is the acute paucity of academic reading material. In 1981 the Government of Tamil Nadu established the Tamil University in Thanjavur. One of the important objectives of this University was to produce ‘reliable’ reference works and textbooks in Tamil for such courses as medicine and engineering. But as the University website proudly proclaims only a “half-a-dozen Engineering books and a few medical books have been wirtten in Tamil and published by the Tamil University” since its inception (typo theirs). Neither the government bodies nor the academic institutions have been able to constitute scholarly, peer reviewed journals in Tamil. So translations and original works, especially on science and technology, tend to be non-standardized.

Even these translated volumes, invariably, rely on terminologies that are merely phonetically reproduced with little depth in their concepts vis-à-vis the ‘regional language’ (Tamil in this case). Consequently, the students undergoing instruction in the regional languages at the university level have to rely on textbooks of dubious quality. Besides the technical problems of translation, translations on a large scale can neither keep pace with the growth of knowledge nor are they financially viable.

The Report of the Education Commission (1964-66) discusses the MOI issue in great detail. It is well worth our time to go over a few parts of the report to appreciate how poorly the government(s) and the educational institutions have fallen behind from their recommendations:

11.58 The Medium of Education. The problem of teaching and evaluation in higher education is inextricably linked with the medium of education and examination. It was pointed out earlier *136 that, as a part of the development of education in our country, we have to move energetically in the direction of adopting the regional languages as media of education at the university stage, that careful preparation should be made for the purpose, that both the manner and the time of transition would have to be left for decision to the university system. We shall now deal with some other aspects of the problem from the point of view of practical implementation:

(1) We would like to emphasize that the medium of classroom communication and examination should generally be the same. The present arrangement under which a large proportion of students, at the first degree stage and even later, use the regional language for purposes of examinations although the classroom instruction is given through the medium of English, is educationally unsatisfactory. If the student can be expected to express himself in the regional language in his examination, it should not normally be difficult for a teacher to do the same in the classroom. In fact, the student's understanding of the fundamental problems and issues would be better and his performance in the examination would improve if, in all cases where the universities have taken a decision to adopt the regional languages as media of examinations, they also decide to adopt them as normal media of classroom communication. However, it must be remembered that the hold of English as a medium in the universities is linked with the use of the regional languages as the languages of administration in the States. So long as the prize posts in administration go to students who have good command over English, it will not be surprising if a substantial proportion of students continue to prefer education given through it.

(2) While the goal is to adopt the regional languages as media of education, we should like to stress again that this does not involve elimination of English. In fact, English, as an important 'library language' would play a vital role in higher education. No student should be considered as qualified for a degree, in particular, a Master's degree, unless he has acquired a reasonable proficiency in English (or in some other library language). The implications of this are twofold: all teachers in higher education should be essentially bilingual in the sense that they would be able to teach in the regional language and in English, and all students (and, particularly postgraduate students) should be able to follow lectures and use reading materials in the regional language, as well as in English.

(3) Great care has to be taken to ensure that the progress of the student entering the university is hampered as little as possible by complexities relating to the media of education. In a student's life, the change from school to college is a crucial stage. On entering college, he finds that there is a greater demand on his powers of understanding and concentration than at school. When to this is added the difficulty inherent in a sudden change in the medium of education, it is not to be wondered at that many students feel bewildered and lost and lose zest in their studies. At the earlier stage of the undergraduate course, it will be an advantage if the bulk of the classwork is done through the regional language. As one goes higher up the educational ladder and as the student's command over English and his familiarity with its use as a medium of education increases, more and more of the class-work could be in English. At the postgraduate stage, at least for some time to come, the bulk of the class-work will have to be in English. (Emphasis mine.) page quoted from

It has been over 40 years since the report was published and the governments, state and central, have clearly failed to create a system in which non-English languages could retain their significance in higher education. This failure is pronounced in states like Tamil Nadu because one would expect to see a considerable amount of development of a language that underpins the mainstream political discourse in the state. But on the contrary, Tamil Nadu was one of the first states to virtually erase Tamil from the 'professional' courses. Even though the disproportionate rise of 'self-financing' colleges may appear to be the reason, it should be noted that government run engineering and medical colleges don't fare any better. Either way, it's squarely the governments' failing -- to adequately regulate private institutions and to develop the language proactively.

The status quo, given all the ironies and disconnects, is rather complex and one has to wonder if the current state of affairs is simply a result of historical trajectories, poor governance and post-colonial apathy. A closer look at mainstream, electoral politics may help us understand the case better.

(continued in next post)

Part 1: Linguistic Capital

English, Tamil: Linguistic Capital (1 of 3)

2009-08-12T17:05:00.009-04:00

The notion of ‘linguistic capital’ is related to Bourdieu’s view of ‘cultural capital.’ In terms of education and schooling, the cultural capital thesis argues that some students possess the social class, family, cultural background and dispositions that enable them to utilize the school environment and its facilities more efficiently than those who do not. They are better acclimatized to the curricula and other benefits that branch from it. Those who are disadvantaged in this regard, on the other hand, tend to have a weaker grasp of the same knowledge as it is culturally alien to them, thereby affecting their learning and, in turn, their growth prospects. Thus social stratification and patterns of domination and subordination are reproduced, despite the school system’s apparent intention to provide equal opportunity to all.

The same holds true for linguistic capital: it can be defined as one’s fluency, expertise and comfort with a language which is used by groups that possess economic, social, cultural and political power and status in local and global society. The linguistic capital thesis, then, states that students who possess, or develop linguistic capital, thereby have access to better life chances. Schools that teach (in) a language associated with a higher socio-economic status, in effect, provide better opportunities for those who can take up that language. Even if it is offered democratically, there exist a number of barriers that promote selective inclusion. Schools, through their medium of instruction (MOI), are implicated in the production and reproduction of certain advantages in the society; linguistic capital is both the medium and outcome of the pursuit of enhanced life chances.

It is important, however, that we understand the dynamic nature of linguistic capital. It is something that can be acquired even by those who do not have ancestral precedents. So it is not impossible for a Tamil boy with Tamil speaking parents to acquire linguistic capital that is grounded in English or Hindi. It will be inaccurate to suggest otherwise, given how so many of us who went to English medium schools never once conversed in English with our parents.

English, in contemporary India, is essential for white-collar employment and is a key component of the ‘cultural capital’ of middle class Indians. As a significant cultural resource, English language proficiency is an imperative goal for the poor and middle class people to achieve social mobility beyond a point. Many of the jobs available in government and government-aided service sector stipulate knowledge of English as essential. The private sector, even before the economic liberalization since 1991, adopted a similar approach keeping in mind India’s multilingual markets. The outsourcing era has further substantiated proficiency of English as a necessary skill set in the urban employment sector. And the jobs that do not require the knowledge of English, both in organized and unorganized sectors are significantly low paying.

The language divide between those proficient in English and those who are not is also a mirror image of broader class and spatial divisions in India. Simply put, the elite and urban professional classes are well acquainted with English; the urban and rural poor, the farmers, and the local traders and merchants are not. In India, the ability to speak in English is not simply about jobs or economic growth, it's a significant marker of social status. As with many indicators of social mobility in India -- such as property ownership, annual income, employment rate etc. -- the upper castes also tend to be most proficient in English too; as they attend private, English medium schools the most. So a lower caste parent has multiple reasons to want his/her children to be educated in English. As many Dalit scholars have argued, it is a real means of empowerment.

This is a relatively unique situation in India in comparison to countries like France, Germany, or Japan. Although it needs to be mentioned that such 'admiration' for English is common in several other countries, especially in Southeast Asia. It is disingenuous to suggest that there’s a possible parallel between aforementioned countries and India. India is also different in its market structure and the technical modernization (or the lack thereof) that the ‘regional languages’ have gone through.

(continued in next post)

Medium of Instruction

2009-07-22T02:38:00.001-04:00

My point exactly:

The Supreme Court on Tuesday frowned upon the imposition of mother-tongue as a compulsory medium of instruction in educational institutions and warned it could go against the interests of students struggling in the competitive world dominated by English language.

It's a point that has been argued several times over by many scholars before. I refrained from writing or talking about it in detail because it was my master's research paper and had plans of expanding it further for my Ph D. But since I've become disillusioned with the idea (of doing Ph D) I'll try to write shortened version of it here or do a podcast on it.

'Talented' Ms. Haasan

2009-07-20T20:04:00.004-04:00

If you're not someone who follows all the 'special columns' in mainstream (Indian) newspapers and tabloid sites religiously, it's not that hard to be oblivious of Shruti Haasan's existence. But some of my friends aren't as fortunate. It’s aggravated further if they happen to be in the same 'batch' and went to a similar school as she -- one of those upscale vidhyalaya types located in that part of the city where it's easy to find a coffee shop than parking space.

While talking to one of them, she expressed disbelief and frustration over the kind of attention she's been getting from "all directions." She said how bad she was (at singing) at school and how nobody cared -- suggesting that she's not any better now but somehow the reception has reversed. I wasn't sure if that is the case. I checked couple of her 'performances' in YouTube and my friend was right: Shruti Haasan cannot sing. The good news, however, is that at least half of the people who commented didn't sound all that impressed.

If she sucks so bad why do the mainstream observers, especially men, seem to be entranced by her 'talent'? Well, because "she's hot." Let's suspend our subjectivities on both counts -- her musical prowess and her sex appeal -- and see exactly what that means and how those two things come together.

Sexual objectification and its consumption usually leans on some kind of perversion after a point. Here, perversion is not a debatable entity. No matter where one's moral compass stands, sexual fantasies are often predicated on some kind of perversion from that point. Where some kind of transgression takes place.

Even though there is plenty of free porn available in the internet -- with a lot of 'beautiful', 'hot' women -- why do people seem to be obsessed with "nipple slips" and cleavages of some celebrity? Because, they have already been mentally undressed by a part of their consumers. They're just curious whether their fantasy matches the reality. It's particularly misogynistic when the consumer is a man and the consumed is a woman. Because, a talented woman is superior to the man in question by virtue of their emplacement in the equation. So he brings her stature down by objectifying her sexually -- a common, uncomplicated tactic. The society has already sanctioned a prejudiced morality and status for sex for the genders. It's the reason why almost all curse words, transcending language barriers, invariably invoke a woman's sexual discipline. So when they say "she's hot" they ascribe other not so desirable characteristics too (that of a slut etc.).

Ms. Haasan's case is also a tad bit different. Someone who may very well be just another light-skinned, lanky lass has been credited with talent and aptitude barely discernible by most of us.Again, why?

Consumption is invariably hinged on the symbolic sign associated with what's consumed. Any object that is beyond the most basic human needs (such as hunger) is bound to become a sign in order to be consumed. Without these signs it's impossible to establish the difference between objects; to get/form a sense of uniqueness about anything (Baudrillard).

So Ms. Haasan may be light skinned and lean -- a conforming sign that fits a common sexual ideal -- but how is she unique? Besides, does she have to be unique? That's dependent on how particular you are about your sexual fantasies. For those who do, she has to be unique and 'different' from the rest of the pack. For this, her eyes, nose, hair, and, of course, cleavage may not suffice. Our dear male may have difficulty in putting them together as a unique sign. That's where 'talent' comes to the rescue. It's a safe refuge to preserve their sense of taste and nuance. They're not the shallow men whose penile reservoirs swell at the mere sight of cleavage, it takes serious talent to turn them on. It's only a coincidence that she's 'hot'.

For Indian television that is preoccupied by movies and movie personalities, Ms.Haasan makes for a nutritious fodder. Her relationship with the tabloids and their existence is almost as basic as food and hunger. And given how much our own lives are tabloidized, this bland soup will be 'hot' for a while.

Boyfriend Latte

2009-07-10T23:33:00.000-04:00

It is one of the funniest short films I've seen in recent times. It has some mildly choppy moments but overall it keeps its satire relatable and has a profound metaphorical touch (not sure if that's intentional).

Watch it here.

Tamil Humour

2009-06-15T18:51:00.008-04:00

One of the first times I heard an incest joke on television was in an episode of Friends -- about Monica and Ross. I must have been 18 then and fairly new to sitcoms. I didn't even get many of the 'normal' jokes then. So this one took me aback. I was shocked that they would make such jokes on television. Shock that was accentuated by the fact that I was watching it in my living room in India. But gradually I got to watching more sitcoms, and jokes likes that weren't uncommon. If it wasn't incest it was something else -- something that broke a taboo.

What is a joke? How/why a joke works? The psycho-cerebral mechanisms behind laughter etc., are vast topics themselves. But suffice it to say that humour is often constructed around the boundaries of absurdity and breaking the subconscious censors in our mind -- visual, semantic or otherwise. Humour becomes a socially potent force when it is transgressive and subversive. This is the point where capitalism and media consumption come together.

Modern capitalism -- perhaps, capitalism in general -- is predicated on creating 'new' things. New products, new markets, 'new improvements' and so forth. Something that is capable of invading existing structures and colonizing parts of it, if not all. It exploits a weakness (if you can call it that) in most humans: we get bored of the same thing over a period. (Familiarity breeds contempt -- how succinct?)

In my observation, humour in television and movies (American and British) have consistently broken boundaries than other genres. Because, jokes risk being not funny if they played by old rules -- it's an inherent necessity. While, a great percentage of sitcoms still derive humour out of reinforcing established and normative rules, series like South Park and Family Guy have thrived in subversive humour. They may not be quite political, but their contribution to the public discourse is significant (good or bad). They enable the fluidity of the rules of engagement by slaying holy cows whenever they acquire an imposing stature. This is one of the biggest failures of the Indian visual mediums.

Let's take the Tamil case: as Thamizhavan argued earlier, the Tamil obsession with morality has greatly stifled the subversive potential of humour in television and films. Being preachy has been a feature in a lot of Tamil humour for decades. It's even a benchmark for assessing the comedic worth of something -- "sirikka veikkanum, sindhikkavum veikanum" (it should make you laugh and think too). Of course, not everyone who says this truly believes in it. It's just one of the many things that mark the hypocrisy that is all too common for the Tamil society (and the subcontinent itself, perhaps). Their refusal to be transgressive has only preserved the rigid cultural mould and with it the hypocrisy as well.

For all the self-aggrandizing opinions about Tamil humour, it's a largely underdeveloped genre in visual mediums. In over 15 years of cable television's existence in Tamil Nadu, there hasn't been one decent sitcom. It took years for something like Lollu Sabha, which barely whips the holy cows of Tamil cinema, to come to the fore. (They had to apologize even for that.) It might be decades before there's a South Park or a Family Guy. But given how far we've 'progressed' in the last five decades, even that is doubtful.

Even the capitalistic drive to 'expand horizons' doesn't seem to apply in the Tamil case. Tamil television has gotten every bit as imitative as any except the part where it requires some creativity. That's why hybrid talk shows and reality TV -- hybridized simply by throwing cinema into the mix -- have made a smooth migration while others haven't. Tamil society doesn't even seem to have the desire to consume something different -- better or not. The fact that these television channels exist, and have been making profit just dishing out garbage, is testament to that.

Tamil humour, unlike its western counterparts, exploits something else: the hypocrisy in Tamils' cultural norms and two tongued nature of their language. In doing so it has the unique ability to generate humour -- or what is perceived as humour -- without pushing any boundaries or being subversive.

These are the moments I find myself in support of people like Larry Flynt. It seems that you need one kind of regressiveness to disrupt and dismantle the other -- at least as long as profit making in involved.

Ambai's Talk in Toronto

2009-06-06T03:33:00.002-04:00

Ambai (C S Lakshmi) was here in Toronto for about a week. I met her for the first time in the Tamil Studies Conference (I'll write/talk about it later). Apart from her presentation in the conference she had a couple of other talks later. I was able to attend only one of them -- 'Tiger's Lair and Other Stories: Tamil Language, Culture and Women' -- and I had it recorded. I hope she wouldn't mind my publishing her lecture here. (Event link.)

Having read a lot of her academic work, this lecture didn't have anything particularly new but it was still interesting.

Download mp3

Indian Media

2009-06-02T15:19:00.006-04:00

It has been quite a while since I stopped to talk about the English news channels in India. It's simply too vexing, and at times, depressing. I mostly try to avoid reading or watching the stupid things they put out. But sometimes, somethings catch your attention. This is when you wonder if they are even trying to hide their supposedly hidden agendas. Phrases like, "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but we have to take a break at this point, we'll be back soon" have betrayed where their loyalties lie -- to the sponsors and the shareholders, and simply, to profit. Soon they'll be saying, "I'm sure you have something important to say, but we need to sell it midway and make our millions, so hold your thoughts."

Anyway, today I ran into this blogpost written by an NDTV reporter. The post and the comments (which I believe were heavily 'moderated') just lend more credence to the disillusionment one has with the idea of India:

If ever there was a ripe case for a well-planned and executed military operation, here it was in Sri Lanka. President Mahinda Rajapakse and his team went about prosecuting what, by all accounts, was a legitimate war. (emphasis mine)

PS. I watch BBC for about 3 hours everyday. I have for the last 6 years. The only time pressure they have come under is with regard to their scheduled programming.

Indian Censor Board

2009-05-07T07:49:00.000-04:00

After a few failed attempts to land on actual CBFC's website I got to this page. I don't know how accurate the clauses/criteria that have been listed are. On face value they do seem fairly consistent with what I've read about the censor board elsewhere.

What surprised me, however, is not so much they have such ridiculous regulations but the number of movies that have slipped under them. I can't think of more than a dozen movies that won't fit this clause alone: "anti social activities such as violence are not glorified or justified."

Either revise the regulations and amend them to reflect a more mature society -- or simply the social reality vis-à-vis the movies that have already come out with a CBFC certification -- or enforce every one of what already exists. It's not new for Indian burearacy to have something in paper and to practice the exact opposite. But the Censor Board of India seems to have reached new heights in this area.

Obsessed With Morality

2009-04-13T21:51:00.000-04:00

We have discussed and deconstructed how rigid notions of morality obstructs critical thinking. Thamizhavan extends the thesis to state that it also underpins the savagery of Tamil society at large:

தமிழ்ச்சமூகம் நீதிபோதனையால் இறுகிப்போன சமூகம். அதனால்தான் வன்முறையான சமூகமாகவும் இருக்கிறது. ’பிறப்பொக்கும் எல்லா உயிர்க்கும்’ என்ற நீதிபோதனையால்தான் பிராமணர்களின் பூணூலையும் குடுமியையும் அறுக்கலாம் என்ற கருத்து அங்கீகரிக்கப்பட்டது. எதிலும் தமிழ்ச்சமூகத்துக்குச் சந்தேகங்கள் இல்லை. கற்பு பிறழ்ந்த மகளின், மனைவியின் தலையை வெட்டிக்கொண்டு போலீஸிடம் சரண்புகும் சமூகம் இது. சினிமாவில் நியாயத்துக்காகப் போராடுபவன் உண்மையிலும் நியாயத்துக்காகப் போராடுவான் என்ற கருத்து எப்படி வருகிறது? நீதி, நியாயம் என்ற நீதிகள் சமூகத்தின் பிடிவாதம். அல்லது நீதி என்று கருதப்படுவதன்மீதான பிடிவாதம். விட்டுக்கொடுத்தல், அதுவும் சரி இதுவும் சரி என்ற நெளிவுசுளிவு போன்றன வேறு ஒரு சமூகக்குழுவின் குணம், நாம் ’வெட்டு ஒன்று, துண்டு ரெண்டு’ என்று பேசும் சாதி, பேசும் மாவட்டத்தவர் என்று பெருமை அடித்துக் கொள்வதுகூட நீதிசார் மனோநிலையின் விளைவுதான்.

Arundhati Roy's Awakening

2009-04-06T03:34:00.020-04:00

Arundhati Roy is one of the most popular "leftist intellectuals" in India; known for her take on several issues including globalization, imperialism, and media. Given this image, many Tamil activists hoped that she would join their cause in protesting against the GOSL and India. They probably didn't wish for a dramatic demonstration that she staged in the Narmada Dam site, but a 200 word op-ed or a flashy statement at the end of her lucrative book readings. To get some attention from the English press in India, and possibly English television. But her indifference and silence about the Sri Lankan Tamil issue may have raised doubts about her intellectual depth and integrity even among her fans.

Some Tamil intellectuals -- who were left leaning themselves -- were not surprised, though. Some even likened her to 'Hindu' Ram. Thamizhavan, wrote a very insightful article about a month ago. He identifies the likes of Roy as elite, "half baked, cosmopolitan intellectuals" who pick up issues that "matter" in order to be recognized as progressive thinkers. He says, "talking extensively about Palestine while not blurting a word about Eelam is an important characteristic of this band." Thamizhavan expressed his views in regards to Chomsky's interview to Sri Lanka Guardian (SLG). He argues that politically regressive media houses like The Hindu, SLG, and top "cadres" of the communist parties in India try to "monoplize Chomsky and his ideas" to lend credibility to their politics.

My impression of Roy has always been that of a lazy thinker who picks up pointers from Noam Chomsky and other serious intellectuals. She frames templates based on Chomsky's writings and moulds her views on several issues with them; quite successfully, I must add.

The SL conflict, if she ever thought about it, must have put her in a tight spot, though. In the SLG interview, Chomsky confesses that he is not well-informed on the ethnic conflict. (Why? We don't know.) So Roy probably didn't know what to say with nobody to plagiarize ideas from. She must have wondered if there is any scope to personalize this issue; something that would also appeal to the smug crowd that quotes her writings and gathers for her speeches. Or she felt that her histrionics can never match the self-immolations Tamil Nadu has seen -- and India hasn't -- the last few months.

With everything pretty much done and dusted with, Roy has stepped into the arena with her article in The Guardian. This article may not do any good to Sri Lankan Tamils, but at least now she cannot be accused of saying nothing about the genocide. The most infuriating aspect about it is that she insults our intelligence right in the first line and maintains that intent throughout:

The horror that is unfolding in Sri Lanka becomes possible because of the silence that surrounds it. There is almost no reporting in the mainstream Indian media - or indeed in the international press - about what is happening there. Why this should be so is a matter of serious concern.

You wonder whether she's talking to herself? Not so. For she absolves herself from the sinful crowd with this indisputable explanation:

Several of us - including myself - who should have spoken out much earlier have not done so, simply because of a lack of information about the war.

She has so much conviction in her defence that she presents the case like a reporter on field would; "breaking the news to the world." The article is also written with a matter-of-fact tone. Quite unlike her flowery expositions about 9/11 or Kashmir. "The few eyewitness reports that have come out are descriptions of a nightmare from hell," (emphasis mine) seems to be the best she could cook. Maybe she didn't realize there's no hurry to turn the article in. After all, she had the patience and intellectual commitment to gathering information for 30 years before she "broke her silence." Hope nobody breaks her jaw for the puerile recital of old facts.

'Uncorrupt' Clowns

2009-03-31T18:54:00.006-04:00

In an interview with Gnani, S.Ve. Shekher told that he believed in spirits and that he communicates with his dad's spirit regularly. Later when Shekar spoke about this political ambitions and how he would run things, Gnani quipped, "how are you going to do things differently? By taking advice from your guides in the spirit world?" It didn't even seem funny because of the things Shekher had said until then. That was then, now this:

Why should they not get reservation? In Tamil Nadu, 69 per cent of the people get reservation and ninety five per cent of people enjoy some kind of reservation except the forward community. Where is social justice? There are over 40 lakh Brahmins in Tamil Nadu. It is the government's duty to give equal opportunities to everyone. Brahmins have been eliminated, insulted and sidelined in so many ways. You cannot punish people for what happened over 50-60 years ago.

Eugenics, Karma and 'Naan Kadavul'

2009-03-31T07:40:00.002-04:00

அதிர்ச்சியான செய்திகளை காட்சிப்படுத்துவதன் மூலமே தங்களை வித்தியாசமான படைப்பாளிகளாகக் காட்டிக்கொண்டு வரும் இலக்கியவாதி ஜெயமோகனையும், இயக்குனர் பாலாவையும் பார்த்து நெஞ்சில் ஈரமுள்ளவர் யாரும் ‘அடப் பாவிகளா’ என கத்தாமல் இருக்க முடியாது.

அறுபது லட்சம் யூதர்களைக் கொன்று குவித்த ஜெர்மன் நாஜிகள், அத்துடன் நிற்காமல் ஒரு லட்சம் உடல் ஊனமுற்றவர்களையும், மனநோயாளிகளையும் - அவர்கள் ஜெர்மானியராகவே இருந்த போதும் விஷ வாயுவைச் செலுத்திச் சாகடித்தார்கள் இரண்டாம் உலகப் போரில்!

‘இனத்தூய்மை’ இதற்கு காரணமாகச் சொல்லப்பட்டாலும், வேண்டாத சுமை ஒன்று இறக்கி வைக்கப்பட்டது என்றே அவர்கள் நிம்மதி அடைந்தார்கள்.

‘வலுத்தவன் மட்டுமே வாழ வேண்டும்’ என்ற இந்த ஆரிய வக்கிரத்தைத்தான் ‘நான் கடவுள்’ வழியாக நம்மிடம் இப்போது சுற்றுக்கு விட்டிருக்கிறார்கள.

மேலும் படிக்க

On exclusion, elitism etc.

2009-03-25T00:01:00.003-04:00

Since I've decided to delete comments (not moderate) regularly, I might as well make an explanatory post on it instead of stretching the discussion elsewhere. Since the exchange is pretty long, I'll just post them as comments -- as they appeared in the previous post.

A Wednesday: A Terrible Idea

2009-03-21T01:27:00.016-04:00

The movie's premise, leaving aside what seems obvious, hinges on the subtextual notion that Muslims in India don't say/do enough to show that they are angered by the terrorist attacks that happen in India. So the director has decided to prove their 'Indianness' through his protagonist -- the 'common man.' But he doesn't want to make it obvious. It's subtle (ok, not so). The 'common man' speaks with a vocabulary quite peculiar to a certain community (mulk being the 'give away' word). So you know that the man behind this holy mission is a Muslim. Oh how unctuous?

The 'common man' who decides to take his anger out in the form of a threat -- another series of bomb blasts -- sends a message to the ruling bureaucracy that he is 'sick and tired.' What exactly is he sick and tired of? The answer to this question and the questions that surround the answer is what makes this movie so problematic.

First, the answer: The 'common man' delivers a sermon in which he describes the afflictions of a middle class man who commutes to work every day. He's troubled by the distant probability of him getting killed by a terrorist attack. Even more so because his fellow commuter -- a youngster with his 'entire life ahead' -- is killed by one that happened 'recently.'

There are about 20 million people living in and around Mumbai. Based on the terrorist attacks that have hit the city in the last decade, the average number of people killed every year would be less than 50. The probability that our 'common man' would be one of that 50 out of the 20 million is quite negligible. Actually, it's like the same guy winning the lottery twice (given that the 'common man' just survived an attack). He's more likely to be one of the 3,500 people who get killed every year on Mumbai's suburban railway lines alone.

Of course, one might say, "terrorism kills some and terrorizes the rest." True. I'll grudgingly admit that the 'common man's anxiety -- that he cannot go to work, and make that day's wage (or more) -- is justified on more practical (and probable) grounds than the improbable death itself. But where does his paranoia and outrage fit?

In a city that is brought to a grinding halt for days, sometimes weeks, every year by the monsoon? In a city where half its population lives in slums? In a city where raging mobs have killed more people than the blasts themselves? In a city where people are mowed down in greater numbers?

No. It fits in his middle class cocoon of a mind, preserved by ignorance and hypocrisy. The same thing that informs the movie's myopic perspective. It's no coincidence that the 'common man' picks four terrorists (three Muslim) to "purify" the country from. (It's quite ironic that he lists Malegaon among the other terrorist attacks.) While he questions why these men weren't convicted (or kept alive?) yet, he doesn't mention why no one is even indicted in many cases involving Hindu mobs.

I wonder if Naseeruddin Shah realized that he has risked becoming the Muslim poster-boy who viciously condemns 'Islamic terrorism.' One that is supposed to love India. Just like Sharukh Khan did in Chak De India. It's quite messed up when you think about it. I have probably been through a lot less than an Indian Muslim has, but even I don't 'love' India. But dare not he/she say that. At least not while in India. As if Naseeruddin Shah wasn't enough, the movie also has a cardboard cutout, Muslim police officer who's ready to get shot in the arm, and perhaps sacrifice his life, for the country. He's one of the many heroes in the infallible body that works day and night to protect the people: the Mumbai police. Need I say more about them?

The truth is, there is no 'common man.' There are those who are not Dalit, not poor, not illiterate, not political, and not silenced. By virtue of not being any of them he's already immune to their social malaise. Their misery doesn't seem to trouble him. The middle class 'common man' has little in common with majority of his fellow humans. 'Common man' is the last thing he should call himself.

Note: If you have not seen the movie yet, this post may not make sense. (This is not a review.)

WTF?

2009-03-18T19:19:00.007-04:00

"Smoking kills: Airhostess dies after fight over fag." Really? That's the best you could come up with?

We should probably be happy that they didn't say, "fag-hag dies!"

Slave Labourers

2009-03-15T05:04:00.005-04:00

Several documentaries, including those made by the State and Central governments, have 'captured' the lives of those who toil in sweat shops at a young age. It's no secret that child labour and bondage are rampant in India. So you would think that it's not hard for someone from there to believe that forced labour is very common. But Vishnu, who's supposed to be from Kanchipuram, was angry that I said there are slave labourers in Kancipuram, in my last podcast. He wanted me to "stop making stuff up just to increase (my) hits." He also had more to say about my "rants" against Hinduism. I cannot paste his entire mail here, but you can visit any rediff message board and find a close match. I haven't spoken to Vishnu before, but I'm sure he is a you-know-who.

I shouldn't be surprised, though. The district collector himself did not know that it was happening in his town; either that or it's the usual denial we are so used to hearing from our babus. ("150 cases in all of India," adi seruppala.) I was glad to find the BBC report I had mentioned in the podcast -- I had recorded it a long time ago. It's different from the rest in that we almost feel sorry for the government officials. You are touched by how they are cornered, and feel helpless in the face of what they see as futile. You might even want to cry: "Leave them alone, didn't you hear it? The boy cannot study. Stop wasting their valuable their time already. They will definitely take action."
Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Reaction

2009-03-07T04:23:00.004-05:00

"Two Dalits hacked to death in Tamil Nadu." Even though incidents like these are not uncommon in Tamil Nadu (or other parts of India for that matter), this is probably the first reported incident of this kind since the Law college 'beating'. I'm not sure if as many from the bourgeoisie will react to this as they did for the former. But I reckon this will be talked over for days in Tamil TV channels and written about in all major news papers in length. Editors of these media houses would do that much to save their faces.

Well, who am I kidding?

Defiance

2009-03-03T00:33:00.002-05:00

"Sri Lankan players attacked, tour called off." Come on now! You can't let the terrorists win!

Feeling Good

2009-02-23T23:22:00.005-05:00

One of the benefits of online communication with friends is that you get introduced to brilliant material once in a while:

Slumdog Millionaire is the type of film that depicts the horror of slum residents washing and drying their clothes right next to speeding trains as a kaleidoscopic, ethnic, patchwork mosaic; the scenes leading up to Jamal's mother's murder are an idyllic tableau of women doing their wash, exoticized and idealized. Boyle's visual style is all bombast and ego, zooming racks and aerial shots that minimize an audience's need to confront the realities of life in a third world ghetto. When all else fails, here comes more of the slo-mo, retard tingle attached to a long look at beautiful inamorata Latika (Frieda Pinto). Paired unhappily with dogme95 Anthony Dod Mantle's trademark ugly cinematography, the result is this jigsaw monster of a movie that seems to recognize the hideousness of its subject before forcing itself to plaster on a jester's smirk--the visual equivalent of a nice pat on the head. No doubt someone's already formulated the argument that it's just a harmless allegory of one illiterate urchin's predestined rise (Boyle reprises his own repugnant Millions in that sense), but a closing credits sequence that hijacks Bollywood's musical extravaganza with the entire cast of extras suggests otherwise. The cruellest irony of Slumdog Millionaire is that, like (wait for it) the also- impossibly-popular and instantly-dated Juno, it's an archconservative message that causes liberals to feel inordinately pleased with themselves.

PS. Congrats to AR Rahman. I am happy for him.

Zoned Out: Maths

2009-02-20T10:26:00.009-05:00

After a tiring argument, "say what you want, but an eye for eye would leave the whole world blind!" concluded Dhimma
"Wait. I take your eye, and you take one of mine in return. Doesn't the story end with both of us with one eye?" asked Murun
-"Well...I guess. But what if I took one back from you after I lost my first eye because I forgot that I started it?"
"Then I'll be left with no eyes and I can't pluck your last eye even if I wanted to. Your conclusion doesn't add up even then. Do you want to rephrase?"
-"Ok. In a world in which people don't know their math or with selective amnesia, an eye for an eye would leave everyone blind!"
"No, it still doesn't make sense."
-"The geezer didn't know what the hell he was talking about, did he?"

Obsolete "Truth"

2009-02-14T02:10:00.018-05:00

“Spirituality” and “mysticism” are some of the ideas that are given to mixed understanding by people and scholars of different backgrounds. As an atheist with an empiricist worldview, I tend to deconstruct all ideas of spirituality and mysticism, and ultimately reduce it to an actor’s experience within a structure. It is unlike Freudian psychoanalytic reductionism, though. I do not really try to or find it purposeful to “demystify” the “experience” a certain way. Just like all the inexplicably surreal dreams many of us have regularly. I simply dismiss them. They are irrelevant to life in a materialist, physically grounded world that follows rules that are decipherable by our basic, shared senses – either directly or through instruments. Its validity and accuracy aside, psychoanalysis may be necessary insofar as philosophical and epistemic reasoning – of the simplest kind, such as deconstruction – do not enlighten the visions of “enlightenment.”

Spirituality in of itself risks extinction if it is not communicated through a materialistic form. All mystical experiences – of “pure consciousness” or otherwise – have to be mediated semiotically even for self-explanation. Verbalizing it makes it even more distorted (or manipulated) with interplay of specific cultural signifiers and semantics. Even that, assuming the person has not consciously fabricated the said experience itself. So Ramakrishna may have been honest about all his “visions” but they were still a product of his environment. I do not care if it was his suppressed homoeroticism that subconsciously transfigured into his mystical experiences, they were all constructed nevertheless. How or why is immaterial. My interest and respect for him (whatever I have) comes only from his politics.

On the same token, God’s relevance is more important than God’s existence – it’s a point of ontological divergence. Advaita Vedanta’s notions of “absolute truth”, Brahman, “essence” etc., need to be treated as such. “Who are you?” is not that tricky a question. The answer “I am who you are asking it to” would rubbish all its non-dualistic connotations. All objects are perceived relationally and an object’s state devoid of its relation to the subject – in its “essence” – is of little value in the physical world. Actually, I disagree with the idea itself; that there is an inherent, singular “nature” or “spirit” for every object, outside of human observation. It's a notion akin to the "ultimate purpose" of human life.

Spiritualists seem to rely solely on analogical simplification when their obscurantist claims are deconstructed. The problem in doing so is that analogies are inherently meant to simplify and are hence circular. The way a straight train is made to climb around mountains by exploiting minor flexibilities in its path. (Yes, it’s meant to be ironic.) The only thing about spirituality that I find worthwhile is the philosophical analyses of phenomena in the material world within its terms. Such occurrences, however, are rare in most cases. Most of them have an uncanny, theologically motivated obsession with fatalism.

I do not see this as “Western philosophies’ inability to understand/accommodate the Orient.” It is rather unfortunate that our people were colonized when the West was busy philosophizing matter. Because, a land mass with languages as complex as any European language would have churned out its share of philosophers who would have propounded the same ideas – it’s an undeniable statistical probability. It is disingenuous and escapist to exploit temporal precedence to forward irrational ideas. Of course, rationality itself is a useless Western idea, isn’t it? Indians could have never come up with that on their own. It’s better not to talk about positivist, neuroscientific studies etc.

Experience tells us that for all the God’s supposed communication with its most ardent disciples – gurus and spiritual leaders – people end up doing what their political space allows them to do. A country such as India stands testament to this assertion. The ratio of god-men and inequities among the people is perhaps the worst in this part of the world. Most spiritual gurus here are supposed to have had some kind of “authentic spiritual experience” at some point of their lives. They meditate, fast, chant and do everything to achieve “nirvana” – a mental state that, among other things, keeps out the travails of the “real” world. Why seek political emancipation when “spiritual emancipation” puts you at a better place in the society? If only the poor and the oppressed learnt to fill their stomachs with spiritual food.

From Ramakrisha who convulsed at the sight of money to Jayendra Saraswathi who is bathed in gold coins, spirituality in India has sure come a long way. Most of the spiritualists, I would argue, are not really waiting for their Gods or gurus to say what to do. In spite of all their Sanskrit mumbo-jumbo, they exist and operate in the materialistic domain. It's just another weapon in their wide arsenal to achieve/preserve their elite status and social elevation. If nothing, some kind of respect for their "aura." They are the neo-hippies. “What about the unassuming ascetics by the banks of Ganges?” you may ask. All I can say is, “keep their weed supplies uninterrupted.”

True Postmodernist

2009-02-09T22:06:00.003-05:00

"I wish my first word as a child had been 'quote,' so right before I die, I could say 'unquote.'"
- Zach Galifianakis

Podcast: Violence, Disenfranchisement and Statehood

2009-02-04T21:34:00.007-05:00

Download mp3; download mp3 (Odeo Link)

1'-5': Protests in distant lands -- far from where it may actually have an "effect".
5'-12': An individual's interaction with the state; role of violence in maintaining a statehood.
12'-14': Nationalist arrogance
14'-19': Why should the systemically marginalized and the oppressed live by a state's laws?
19'-23': Periyar and Tagore on "India" the nation.
23'-28': Constructing nationalist loyalties; erosion of leftist perspective in mainstream media. (pothu putthi - common/mainstream sensibility.)
28'-35': Muthukumar's self-immolation; Tamil Nadu's indifference to protests and the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils.

Related blog entries: நாகார்ஜுனன்; ஜமாலன்; முத்துக்குமாரின் கடிதம்.

முதலாளித்துவம்

2009-01-23T05:54:00.001-05:00

அடுத்து அவன் நூறு டியூப்பற்பசைகளோடு மட்டும் நின்று விட முடியாது. ஏனெனில் சோப் தயாரிக்கும் மற்றுமொரு பெரிய முதலாளி தனது சாம்ராஜ்ஜியத்தை விரிப்பதற்கு பற்பசை தயாரிப்புக்குள் வரலாம். எனவே பற்பசையில் வெற்றி நாட்டிய முதலாளி இப்போது சோப் தயாரிக்கும் போட்டியிலும் இறங்க வேண்டும். இப்படித்தான் முதலாளிகள் சக முதலாளிகளை அழித்து ஏகபோக முதலாளிகளாக மாறி ஒரு நாட்டையே கைப்பற்றி பின்பு பல நாடுகளை வெல்லும் ஏகாதிபத்தியமாக மாறி இன்று மேல்நிலை வல்லராசாகவும் தலையெடுத்து நிற்பதற்கு அடிப்படையாக இருக்கிறார்கள். எனவே மோசடியும், ஊழலும், திருட்டுத்தனமும், முதலாளித்துவத்தை நீடித்திருக்கச் செய்யும் அடிப்படை விதிகள். இப்படித்தான் முதலாளித்துவம் இயங்க முடியும். முதலாளிகள் எல்லாரும் உழைத்து கஷ்டப்பட்டு முன்னேறியதாக கிழக்கு பதிப்பகத்தின் அசடுகள் வேண்டுமானால் கழுதை விட்டைகளாக புத்தகங்களை வெளியிடலாம்.

Source

Australian Open 2009

2009-01-21T00:28:00.003-05:00

Federer hit a winner at the end of a very interesting rally against Korolev. Before Federer could serve again, the chair umpire interrupted and said, "[w]ait please, we are still amazed."

Zoned Out: Authenticity

2009-01-17T06:53:00.011-05:00

Gautam, there's been a lot of buzz about your trip to Hollywood. Please tell us about your experience there.

I went there to promote Varanam Aayiram for the Oscars. I think we have a good chance in at least five categories, including The Best Director. That's where I met with Mel Gibson and as usual, we sat down for a drink. You know, we share the same pro-American, pro-capitalist, pro-nationalist, pro-police, pro-military, pro-war, pro-elite, anti-feminist, anti-Islamic, ant...

Yes, yes, and?

What I mean is, we both go a long way. He said, "hey kiddo! (that's how he calls me) I've been asking you for years now, when are you going to make a film for me?" I narrated a story I had prepared for Warner Bros. He liked my story a lot but he wanted some changes in the script. He sent a few DVDs of his films so that I can incorporate some elements from it. I said it's impossible to add two more rape-murder scenes and walked away. The story is now a part of the movie I'm working on.

There are many who criticize that your characters speak too much Tamil and that it's a tactic to force sophistication in your movies, what's your opinion on that?

I never understood where this is coming from. I try to set my characters in real life scenarios in their absolute, raw authenticity. I cannot force my characters to not to be what they are. For example, in my next movie Vilikalil Amilam (விழிகளில் அமிலம்), the hero blurts, "ni periya mayirandiya?" whenever his authority is questioned. Now, please tell me if English could have done justice for this emotion?

I suppose not. The title sounds very interesting, what is the movie about?

The title has a profound meaning. You'll understand if you watch the movie. The movie is about this auto driver whose only ambition in life is to make love. He had sex, he got laid, he fucked, he humped, he fornicated, he: fed the kitty, varnished the cane, peeled the banana, shanked the shaft, pushed the button, creamed the kaboose, drove the stick, jumped the gun, climbed the mountain, washed the fruit, watered the plant, boinked the bandy, dipped the chip, glazed the donut, drilled the desert, boned the cone, stormed the trenches...

Ok! I think we get the point.

Yeah, so he does everything but make love. The story tries to paint a realistic picture of the protagonist's struggles in finding that decent, good girl who says, "I want to make love to you!" and makes his life worthwhile.

I'm sure the audience cannot wait to watch the movie. Thanks for a candid interview.

Anytime, mah nigga! I's jus keepin it real, fo' shizzle my nizzle.

(Did you just say that?) Never mind.

Also read: Gautam Menon's other "candid" interview

White men

2009-01-15T05:52:00.003-05:00

Calling for groups to be treated as separate entities with differing motivations, he wrote that it was not a "simple binary struggle between moderates and extremists, or good and evil" and treating them as such was a mistake.

This is why the British are way better than Americans.

Zoned Out (new series): Blue eyes

2009-01-11T05:55:00.019-05:00

"Is that your mother in the photo?" said C2
-"yeah, she is."
C2 walked closer to photo hanging in the wall. "Oh my God, she looks so beautiful!"
"Thanks," said Mundi. C2's observation seemed to gratify him.
C2 called me and pointed to the photo.
I said, "Is that Mundi's mom? Cool"
-"isn't she pretty? I mean, look at those beautiful blue eyes!"
"meh…" and rolled my eyes as if to say "whatever!"
C2 was somewhat upset over my reaction, but she didn't say anything. I don't know if Mundi noticed either of us.
C2 and I are good friends and roommates. Mundi drove us to our building. C2 remained quite as we took the elevator and walked to our apartment; something's coming up for discussion.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” asked C2.
"What happened?"
-"didn't you think your reaction was completely uncalled for? Why did you have to be such an asshole to Mundi?"
"What the fuck are you talking about? It was your comment that was completely uncalled for!"
-"what was so wrong about saying Mundi's mother was beautiful?"
"Ok, let me break it down for you. You made a completely gratuitous aesthetic judgment and you expressed it out in the open too. She is Mundi's dead mother, how the hell does it matter to anyone that she was supposedly beautiful?"
-"not even to Mundi?" interrupted C2 quite angrily
"No wait, please let me finish. This is what you seem to assume: it's perfectly alright to say that someone is beautiful, especially if it's a dead person. You assume that those who are related to the said person will be pleased"
-"oh, you're such a genius for figuring that out. So much for 'deconstruction'"
"Wait, wait, I'm not done yet. While you may be right in your assumption, what you said is still problematic. First, let me get the cliché out of the way. She looked beautiful to you, why should others or I agree? Second: you are talking about Mundi's mother. Why should he be pleased that his mother was beautiful? Is he going to get any more closer to his dead mother because a member of his society thinks she is beautiful? I mean, if you really wanted to make him happy, you should have said his d…"
-"that is so sexist!"
"Well, you are his girl friend. He wouldn't mind that kind of appreciation. Being a 'manly man' as he is, he would have loved it for you to go public about his penis. If you think that ..."
-"will you cut down on the rambling and make your point?"
"What do you mean? I think I've made my point abundantly clear. You just lapped up the bullshit practice of saying that people are beautiful when it doesn't and shouldn't matter the least bit and I refused to participate in that charade. And what's with these ‘blue eyes’, long hair crap? Anyone can get a pair of cheap contacts and make their eyes look blue, purple or whatever"
-"but they are not natural!"
"Yeah, racially natural and naturally racist! When did we start caring about 'natural' shit anyway? Give me a minute...you see this cow? That's what natural means in 2009. Which era's 'natural' are you talking about?"

Disclaimer: All conversations and characters (including mine) in the Zoned Out series are and probably will be fictional. Characters may appear too self-righteous, intelligent, vevaram, one-dimensional etc., and their conversations exaggerated.

Montage: Dasvidaniya

2009-01-10T08:07:00.005-05:00

This video is a montage to one of the best movies I saw in the year 2008, Dasvidaniya.

It was pretty hard to find a song that would present a complementing mood to a montage for this movie. Finding a song for such projects is the toughest, most time consuming part. But I'm more than happy with what I ended up with. It could not have been better, I think. People who have seen the movie may understand why.

Editing the video took over 6 hours for me. Others could have done it faster perhaps. Structuring a narrative within a montage is a tricky thing. You have to decide whether you want to go fully linear or fully random or quasi-linear? This video is quasi-linear. So all the time I spent thinking what a clip would mean at a certain point might not make any sense to others. What I have tried to make sure, though, is to go with the mood of the song as much as possible. After all, it is a montage.

I'm glad that I finished this project unlike my four or five others that are half or less done and kept in limbo for over a year. There are some minor editing errors that I have left out simply because I was tired of rendering 20 versions of the same song just to make little changes.

Slumdog Millionaire

2008-12-23T12:32:00.007-05:00

This movie is so full of it. The teenage kids can't act, the stereotypes are beaten to death and the juxtapositions are ridiculous. Life in the slums could not have been exaggerated, romanticized and yet contradicted into a weird concoction worse than this movie has.

The only way to watch the movie is to not take it seriously (as Boyle does sporadically); even though it deals with communal riots, child abuse, gangsters, sexual violence, poverty, social prejudice etc. After all, it dares to break into a self-mocking song and dance in the end of it all. "Hey, they are just celebrating the spirit of the youth and the triumph of the underdog! Just chill, will ya?" Sure.

I wonder what people like Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay) and Dev Benegal (Split Wide Open) have to say about this clueless caricature that deals with topics that are too many even for a quiz-game show.

PS. I liked the background score, though.

நித்திரையின் நிந்தனை

2008-11-21T11:36:00.006-05:00

யார் அந்தப் பெண் என்று தெரியவில்லை. அவளோடு நல்ல பழக்கம் உள்ளது போல கடைத்தெருவில் பேசிக்கொண்டே வருகிறேன். நாங்கள் இருவரும் திருநல்வேலியில் என்ன செய்து கொண்டிருக்கிறோம் என்றும் தெரியவில்லை. சில நிமிட நடைக்குப் பிறகு அந்த இடம் வந்து விட்டது. உள்ளே இருந்து ஒரு குரல்,"உள்ள வாங்க தம்பி"
நான்: "இல்ல, பரவால்ல, லேட் ஆச்சு. போலாமா?"

சூழ்நிலை சற்று தெளிவாகியது. உள்ளே இருந்த ஆள் வீடுத்தரகர். எங்களுக்கு வாடகைக்கு சில வீடுகளைக் காட்டப்போகிறார்.
ஏதோ ஒரு வாகனத்தில் சிறிதுநேரப் பயணம். முதல் வீடு. ஒவ்வொரு அறையையும் நோட்டமிடுகிறோம். தரகிரடம் ஏதோ பேசுகிறேன். ஒரு கேள்வி மட்டும் நினைவில் உள்ளது; காரணம் அவர் கூறிய பதில்.

நான்: "வீடு மார்கெட்டுக்கு பக்கம் போல?"
தரகர்: "ஆமா தம்பி. ஆம்பளைக்கு அஞ்சு சந்து, பொம்பளைக்கு எட்டுச் சந்து" என்று சொல்லிச் சிரித்தார்.

உறக்கத்தின் அடைப்பில் சிக்கிய என் ஆழ்மனது, குழம்பிக், குலுக்கி போட்ட குப்பைகளில், நினைவில் இருக்கும் இக்கனவின் கடைசி வரி போன்று வேறெதுவும் என்னை பாதித்ததில்லை.

Note: 2

2008-11-20T15:53:00.010-05:00

Pointers for the ignorant:

1. Dalit is not a caste. It's social identity that is constructed in order to subvert the demeaning status(es) accorded by the Hindu religion.

2. Dalit pride and Thevar/Gounder pride are not the same. People who cannot see the difference can be safely categorized as idiots.

For further reading.

Note

2008-11-13T20:45:00.004-05:00

This is no coincidence.

Caste: I am not, but I am

2008-11-07T23:08:00.014-05:00

Anyone who even dabbles in academia, especially in the social sciences, would be wary of making a singular, essentialist statement about caste. Because, caste in contemporary India operates in several layers, constantly renegotiating their exertions with varying space and time. Socio-historical emplacement, political and economic disenfranchisement, aesthetic and racial overtones, and linguistic and symbolic violence are some of the layers that complexify the idea of caste in public discourse. Nevertheless, at the risk of being wordy and simplistic, I’ll try to present my understanding of caste in a way that is most relevant to an audience that browses through blogs like this. (In saying so, I do not mean to characterize the readers’ acumen one way or the other.)

Ideology vs. Social Reality

One of the primary attributes of caste is the identity it imparts on an individual. The identity is so rigid that even Marxist theorists have floundered in their assessments about caste. I have a friend who, at least according to him, grew up in an environment that allowed him to be oblivious of his caste identity. He wasn’t aware of his fellow students’ either. So caste, seemingly, played a minimal role in how he turned out. In one of our conversations I referred to him as a Brahmin and he objected to it. He said, “I don’t even know what it means to be a Brahmin and I don’t care if I am not one. Why do you want to make that association still?”

While many of us may not identify ourselves with any caste (or religion) anymore, we cannot ignore that it’s only in principle, and our actions as we understand it. My friend may have been unaware of his caste himself, but the environment probably wasn’t. Privilege is a relative idea that needs be situated to appreciate it. He, to a slightly lesser extent, I and a lot of us are privileged in that we were not made to sit out of class rooms, served tea in a separate tumbler, denied entry into a temple, and patronized by the government – some of the many forms of oppression the lower-caste individuals go through.

Being in this privileged position enables us to form a worldview that is often devoid of critical assessment of power structures that bind us. For we are not at the bottom of the pyramid; status quo, as long as it enables our mobility, is not a problem [1]. We make every reason to defend the substructures – like religious dogma, morality, partisan ethics, “merit” etc. – that limit the access to power to the others. The most disturbing aspect of this equation is the upper caste rhetoric that tries to conceal the underlying ruthless, ant-colony behaviour [2].

I remember a lecture during which one of my professors spoke about the time she realized she was white. She probably knew she was white all along, but it took that one moment to remind her how she’s different from the black or the brown. As she put it, “the realization didn’t change my race, but it urged me to racialize more issues.” The same applies to caste and a society where castes exist. I may detest my caste now, but I still would not be able to divorce the privilege it rendered – from within and by others – in the past and it may in future. We cannot stop “drawing casteist lines” until social reality re-orients itself with the ideology in pursuit.

The Social Brahmin

Who is a Brahmin? If I were to present an apologetic/defensive case, I would probably cite verses from the Gita or numerous other scriptures. I might even use a carefully concocted narrative that makes it all seem perfectly reasonable – as in Cho’s Enge Brahamanan. But a moral hierarchy is inherently problematic for any academic, whether he/she is a Marxist or a post modernist. The existentialist quest to be the “superior” – irrespective of the means and accessibility to the said quest – is of negligible importance.

What is important is the status of the social Brahmin (just like the social Hindu). Cho Ramaswamy, for instance, has often said that he is not a Brahmin because he doesn’t possess the “superior” qualities of one. I have seen many bloggers and other "internet individuals" take a similar stance. Quite ironically though, they have also mentioned “I’m a Brahmin by birth” elsewhere. Regardless of what their stance is, the priest in a temple would probably not recall Cho’s theoretical distancing from a Brahmin; and my light skinned friend is likely to get a better reception when he steps into an Alwarpet music store than I would.

These are only relatively subtle elements that elevate the social Brahmin. A theoretically rigorous and academic approach would delineate several factors – disputing the myths of cultural and racial superiority – that contribute to ‘the Brahmin success story’. It would be redundant for me to argue why there are more Brahmins in the elite educational institutions of India or why there is a disproportionate number of Brahmins abroad. So I can never sympathize, at least not as seriously, with a Brahmin who claims to be a social victim of some kind.

The "Excess"

Power and exploitation become central to any ideology if it can lend enough credence to its chastity. Brahminism, as an ideology that propagates rigid, hierarchical structures based on piety, vocation and its modern variants, is at the core of the caste system. It has been appropriated and re-asserted by several castes over several hundred years – the prominent ones being Gounder, Thevar, Chettiyar and lately Vanniyar. It may seem as if scholars, mainstream writers and bloggers ‘attack’ Brahmins more than other castes. But their ubiquitous presence in various media, quite ironically, is the very reason for the seemingly excessive criticism. There are more members from the Brahmin community defending some form of Brahminism in written media – mainstream or otherwise – than any other. Among all the upper castes it’s the Brahmins, at least in my observation, who are the least invisible in urban areas.

Frankly, I do not see any reason to tone down the criticism of someone who has the insolence to claim an essentialist, oppressive identity in public space – be it Brahmins or other upper-castes. What we need is not a reduction in censuring Brahmins, but increase in including Gounders, Thevars and Vanniyars. For the latter hold Brahminism not only in principle but execute it with utmost vengeance. The treatment of these castes in media like cinema – especially in movies like Chinna Gounder, Thevar Magan etc. – is reflective of the appalling insensibility that Tamils as a society have engendered.

If anyone is outraged by what’s been said so far because he/she belongs to a particular caste, he/she should ask himself/herself, “why do I care?”

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[1] – Contrast the protestors, dressed in trek shoes and jeans, against the quota system with Dalits in tattered clothes protesting for basic human rights. The state’s indifference to either of them is a different issue in itself.

[2] - Upper in upper caste cannot be put in quotes because we are referring to a system in which hierarchy is intrinsic. To argue that all castes are equal -- by using quotes -- is flawed considering what constitutes caste.

Consuming Music: School days

2008-10-30T03:29:00.014-04:00

Music, as I consciously heard and enjoyed for the first time, came out of a radio. Even though we had a tape recorder at home, my father never got into the habit of buying cassettes. I still managed to listen to a lot of songs because of the people around my house. Someone or the other would tune into a station that's playing something from Tamil movies. Home to school, the songs would have a discontinued play as house after house, shop after shop would take the baton as I proceed in my bicycle. I even developed a common "talent": I used to be able to identify a song within a few seconds of it playing in the radio or whatever the source is. Sometimes I would sing through the entire song, word for word. I've even tried my hand at one of those school "singing competitions." That was Dindigul.

Even though Madras was quite different from Dindigul, I never had trouble "belonging". I went to a very 'middle-class' school. It didn't have too many rich kids, there was no play ground, we didn't speak any English among ourselves and the school wasn't big on "extra-curricular activities". Of course, it had a fair share of "Madras Brahmins" known for their ginormous gobs. They spoke more about cricket than playing any, giving a new meaning to the expression "vaayilaye vada sudrathu". Some of these kids would also sing -- because they'll be asked to -- something "carnatic" if the teacher fails to show up for a class and it's substituted by the music teacher (and you know where she comes from). I have a vague memory of an argument over Ilayaraja and A.R. Rehman with these people. I think I sided with Rehman.

Meanwhile, my musical horizons were widening. No, I didn't learn to play anything. I listened to English music for the first time in my life, thanks to FM Radio and DD Metro. I was struggling quite a bit with the lyrics, though. I could probably make out 10-20% of what they said, but I was now able to appreciate -- however superficial it might have been -- the music and music videos that were produced in the 'West'. There was a subconscious sense of sophistication. My parents' aversion for western music -- the little I got to watch on DD -- validated the feeling.

The songs and the artists were still slippery and I thought the odd mention of Michael Jackson and Prince would suffice to achieve some "hipness" at school. But the dweebs who sat behind me knew more than just MJ. They were both Christian and knew how to play the piano too. I don't even remember any of the names they threw at me during our 'debates' about the "unoriginal music" Indian music-directors were churning out (hail sophistication!). Thankfully, though, they were too "ugly" to make me feel insecure.

Self consciousness is a tricky feeling to tackle, especially when you're young.

Higher Secondary: a lot of new kids from other schools -- usually, the scum of PSBB and KV -- got into mine. Even though these kids were rejects in a sense, they were walk-in alpha males in my school. They did not have to fight other males and establish their territory before their status was acknowledged. Because, they were representatives of the gentry -- they just colonized the rest of us. Yes, there was an untold us and them. Communicating in English and pulling "conventish" pranks on each other and some teachers, they were the quintessential post-pubescent "players". Pretentiousness, their 'game' platform. They were learning French while we were "stuck" with Tamil.

As for music, most of them didn't get beyond Aqua and Ricky Martin -- the most popular of pop music. However, there were a few who would mention Metallica and Aerosmith once in a while. I don't know how, but I became friends with these guys. They introduced me to rock music. As is the case with many, I didn't like rock music one bit. The first time I listened to Metallica I had a headache the whole night. Pop and techno had a straightforward appeal. So the two years in higher secondary didn't change too many things as far was my knowledge and exposure of non-Indian film music was concerned. Next stop, college.

You may be wondering what happened to girls in all of this. Fooling around with girls wasn't big in any of the schools that I went to. The teachers would go "fundamentalist" if they saw anyone "talking too much" with girls; it's worse if it's outside the school. Personally, I had a very low esteem in terms of sex appeal to be worried about girls. So internet porn was a better, non-judgemental alternative to keep my mid-teen curiosities under control. (Related podcasts: one and two.)

More in the next post.

PS. This post was inspired by the movie Ghost World. It became an instant favourite and I highly recommend it.

Food

2008-10-23T17:13:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to post this as a filler until I make a real post.

Stupid Me

2008-10-17T18:33:00.007-04:00

I had not made any research about Bharathiraja's background until now and I assumed he was from a Dalit caste (because of his proverbial friendship with Ilayaraja). Turns out he is from the Thevar caste.
Now that I know the truth about Bharathiraja's caste, I'm so embarrassed by the misjudment. Damn! His movies and characters...it all makes sense now.

Smoking

2008-10-14T13:12:00.011-04:00

The health effects of second-hand smoking is one of the fiercely debated topics by policy makers and lobbyists in all countries. This debate has come to the fore again, at least in the Indian media and blogosphere, following the ban on smoking in public places.

A problem that I face almost everyday: when I get out of the subway and run to my office every morning -- when I'm panting and breathing heavily -- the sidewalk is hogged by a series of smokers. I usually try to get ahead of the smoker right in front of me only to find there's more. I don't know if going through this cycle everyday for a few years is going to give me lung cancer, what I do know is that it gives me a bad headache and nausea immediately.

Smoking in bars, restaurants and other such 'public places' has been banned for a long time in Canada. What's interesting, though, is that these are places that I can actually avoid. It's the 'public space' that I'm more concerned about. Especially busy sidewalks where one out of five is always smoking, making it virtually impossible to escape it. That gets us to the question on infringement of others' rights. If I called for a smoking ban on roads and parks, am I infringing on the smokers' rights to pleasure themselves? or is it the other way round? Whose rights is superior here?

Personally, this issue is a little too complex for me to take a stance. Because, I'm a proponent of the "right" to self-inflicted harm -- through drugs, adventure sports or masochistic outbursts -- as long as it doesn't drag others into it. But it's a very problematic stance in that people who "care" about you are affected invariably. It's even more problematic in countries like Canada where the State guarantees comprehensive health care to all its citizens. If I jumped from a building trying to kill myself and ended up alive with a broken spine, the State will not only prosecute me for attempted suicide, it will also spend public money to get my back straightened. (India's health care system may not be as good, but legally they are obliged to do the same.)

Cigarette is one of the heavily taxed commodities in Canada. The rationale behind it, in my opinion, is similar to auto insurance. A driver who is statistically more probable to get into an accident pays more premium. The same logic is applied in self selected health insurances: a person more prone to physical ailments -- generally based on his/her medical history and habits -- would be charged more premium. But in universal health care systems taxing the product directly is the only way to balance out, at least in principle, the extra burden caused by the high risk population. However, I'm not sure if kitchen knives and roofing equipment are taxed as much.

What's ironic in all of this is the opinions voiced by some self proclaimed anarchists. The idea of individual right stems only from the acceptance of a statehood and its legal system. Any system that is completely anarchic will still go through prohibition, compensation, risk and consensus before a practice is established as 'acceptable'. A characteristic shared by most States. So if the State deems that my right to not have a headache is superior to others' right to give me one, there is little to argue over it (unless it's with the State itself). Of course, the anarchists do not have any other option because they exist, in most cases, within a State. For they cannot escape statehood and still proclaim the space that gives them the "right" to be anarchic.

So all the talk about rights boils down to one perspective: I think smoking should be banned wherever I go. And if I were a smoker, I would probably say the opposite.

Found This-2

2008-10-05T03:15:00.002-04:00

Route: Basemant Jaxx Romeo->Bond Shine->here

Space Monkeys

2008-09-29T11:46:00.006-04:00

The order of events in space exploration, at least as far as the US is concerned, seems to have followed an interesting logic.

NASA sent several monkeys into the space before it decided to send a man (can't use a gender neutral man/woman here, can I?). The rationale, of course, would have been that monkeys are probably the biologically closest to humans and yet the most 'affordable' life forms at a human's place.

Appollo 8 was the the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon and was one of the most widely covered events in that decade. The astronauts who were sent after the monkeys took the first picture of the Earthrise. And it so happened that the astronauts who were sent after the monkeys had to spend their Christmas orbiting the moon. In a live telecast during the Christmas eve, the astronauts who were sent after the monkeys tried to make the moment poignant by reading a few lines from the Old Testament that went, "[I]n the beginning God created the heaven and the Earth." (Rest of the quote.)

When the astronauts who were sent after the monkeys returned to Earth, they were sued by atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair. Even though the case itself was dismissed on dubious grounds, it made sure that NASA sent slightly evolved primates -- not just from monkeys -- in its future missions.

The Movie Experience

2008-08-27T02:17:00.016-04:00

Audience manipulation is one of the oldest tricks of the trade as far as movies are concerned. It's a complex topic that often calls for nuance when one tries to differentiate 'realistic' narrative progression from 'contrived' haul of boxed plot points. But as in many of these discussions it's always easy to point extremes to state your initial case - to say what you mean by manipulation. The underdog that emerges victorious in the end and the wronged, just man getting his revenge are some of the most common and easiest to point.

It should be noted that 'manipulative' scenes can have the effect of any 'genuinely' moving scene. While it may get some teary eyed and "heavy", the contextualization outside of the movie cannot be ignored. It is especially true with scenes that try to shock you, some quite literally. Videos like these demonstrate the point best. It sure evokes a basic human emotion - fear - but there's little that is creative or original about it. You can draw a direct parallel between such videos and typical Tamil "family drama's" climax monologues.

Here, the movie Dogville makes for interesting case study. Because it's not completely relevant to go into what the movie is about, I'll take the liberty to just link you the reviews that summarize it closely: review 1; review 2. Assuming you've either seen the movie or read at lease one of the reviews, I'll proceed further. Nicole Kidman's character Grace is subjected to all kinds of abuse and exploitation by other characters of the movie for longer than what's generally tolerable for the viewer. It's akin to those 60s Indian movies in which the woman who personifies all things "good" is tortured (read buttered) endlessly for a climactic gush of redemption. Even the apparent plot twists become rather predictable if you're conscious of the movie's length. For example, about 2 hours into the movie Grace tries to escape from the vicious town and you know it's not going to happen. Because, there's almost an hour's movie left. What are they going to show? Grace starting a new life in a new town? Of course not.

There is very little to like about what the characters do for the most part of the movie; Grace being the worst of the lot. Traditionally, this kind of character has to do something drastic, one way or the other, to vindicate herself before the movie ends. But Dogville goes far beyond manipulation, what it does is audience abuse. It literally makes you sick to the stomach through most of its playing time. Because, for whatever reason, many believe that movies and marathons "have to be finished" once begun. Grace and her gangster father's philosophical musing over power and moral relativism in the end can only be characterized as juvenile. The "illustration", as one of the characters, Tom, puts it, isn't as "vivid" as it may appear. Yet, some critics have a "was worth the torture" kind of take on it.

This is an interesting dimension in itself. There are real life examples that are somewhat along the same lines: 1. waiting hungry in a crowded restaurant for the food to arrive; 2. waiting on the queue of a roller coaster ride. Anticipation and uncertainty (or certainty) are the foremost emotions that construct the experience for us. However, generally it's the finale -- something that completes the experience -- that decides our after-thoughts on the experience. But in either scenario, I would be outraged if I realize that I've been forced to wait just so that the I'm ready to appreciate anything they offer in the end. It's even worse when it happens in movies: because, the denouement is only part of the product, not the product itself. A tricky aspect of the art -- constructing the experience -- seems to be misinterpreted often by critics and moviegoers in general. They probably fail to realize that not all share the same threshold when it comes to standing 'manipulation'. Because, "switching off" doesn't come as easily for many.

I remember reading somewhere that a "movie is not a string of interesting scenes." But the way I watch most of the movies -- at home, in my computer or TV -- I am actually fine with a movie that doesn't fit that rule. Of course, what's interesting is debatable.

vetti post - 12

2008-07-25T23:09:00.004-04:00

Because this is my blog, I'll use it make an announcement that doesn't really mean anything to others but would give me the superficial satisfaction of being "honest."

I stopped eating meat little over five years ago. When I stopped, I had some ethical, philosophical reasons; three years later, after some reflection on certain things, I didn't really subscribe to those reasons but remained a non-meat eater anyway. (I did a podcast on this topic a year ago.)
For at least 2 years I was quasi-vegetarian for no particular reason. But in the last two months I happened to cook more meat dishes than usual, because I had/I was at more get-togethers than usual. So I tried a lot of new dishes and was "forced" to taste the food. Then tasting became eating when I was lazy and had nothing else to eat.

Basically, I want to say that I've been eating meat once in a while for the last two months. So I'm now a non-vegetarian. Having returned to this status, however, I'm not all too excited about it. Somehow non-vegetarian food has lost its appeal. I think I'll become a quasi-vegetarian again, soon.

சாரு நிவேதிதா - காற்றடைத்த பையடா

2008-07-12T21:09:00.014-04:00

குறிப்பு: சாரு நிவேதிதா கூறியுள்ள சிலவற்றை இந்த வலைப்பதிவில் சிலமுறை மேற்கோள் காட்டியுள்ளத்தால் அவரின் ரசிகன் நான் என்பது போல தோற்றம் வரக்கூடும்; அதை தெளிவு செய்யவே இந்த இடுகை. பின் வரும் கருத்துக்கள் அனைத்தும் charuonline.com' இல் இதுவரை வெளிவந்துள்ள சாரு நிவேதிதாவின் எழுத்துக்களை மட்டும் அடிப்படையாகக் கொன்டவை. எழுத்துப்பிழைகளை தயவு செய்து மன்னிக்கவும்.
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'கடிதம்' என்ற பேரில் சாரு நிவேதிதா வெளியிடும் ஜால்ரா வாக்குமூலங்கள் எல்லாம் சென்னை தொலைக்காட்சி நிலையம் எதிரொலி கடிதங்களை விட மோசமாக இருந்து வருகின்றன.

"சுண்டைக்காய் பொறியல் அருமை, இது போல் மேலும் சமையல் குறிப்புகளை செ.தொ.நி தயாரிக்க வேண்டும்" என்பது போல், சாரு சமீப காலமாக எழுதி வரும் விஷயமற்ற வெற்று "காதல் கடி" SMS களை கூட புகழ ஆட்கள் இருப்பது ஒன்றும் ஆச்சர்யபடுத்தவில்லை. தமிழ் சினிமாவின் அவல நிலை பற்றி வாய் கிழிய பேசும் சாரு, அதற்கு ஆதாரமாக இருப்பதே தமிழ் சினிமாவில் உள்ள "கலைஞர்களின்" மமதை என்றும் தெரிந்திருக்க வேண்டும். அந்த மமதைக்கு காரணமே வெத்து வேட்டு நடிகர்களை புகழக்கூட பல அடிப்பொடிகள் இருக்கிறார்கள் என்பதுதான். இந்த கருத்தை ஏதோ நன்கு உள்வாங்கிக்கொண்டு பேசுவது போல் இவர் கமலையும் ஜெயலலிதாவையும் ஒப்பிட்டுபேசியது நகைப்புக்குரியது. (அந்த ஒப்பீட்டில் எனக்கு எந்த கருத்து வேறுபாடும் இல்லை என்பது வேறு விஷயம்.)

இதுவரை சாரு விமர்சனம் என்று கூறிக்கொண்டு பதில் எழுதியது அனைத்தும் விமர்சனங்களே இல்லை. ஏதோ "நான் ஏத்தி விடுவணாம், நீ எடுத்து குடுப்பியாம்" என்பது போல சப்பானிதனமான கேள்விகள், அதற்கு மேம்ப்போக்குத்தனமான பதில்கள்; அதுவும் அத்தி பூத்தாற்போல். பெரும்பாலும் பிரசுரிக்கப்படும் கடிதங்கள் அனைத்தும், எழுதியவர் இவரை எப்படி எல்லாம் உயர்வாக நினைக்கிறார், அல்லது சாரு ஏன் ஒரு இலக்கியப் புலி என்று அவர் கருதிகிறார், அல்லது எப்படியெல்லாம் இவரை முத்தமிட விரும்புகிறார் என்பதாகத்தான் இருக்கின்ற. புகழை விரும்பாதவன் என்று பிரகடனம் செய்து கொண்டு இம்மாதிரியான வெற்றுப்பிரசுரங்கள் எதற்கு என்று தெரியவில்லை? இவர் மிக உயர்வாக மதிப்பிடும் எழுத்தாளர்கள் இப்படித்தான் "முதுகு சொறி" கடிதங்களை வெளியிட்டுக்கொண்டும் தன் ஏதோ ஒரு படைப்பை மட்டும் "உலக தரம்" என்றும் பினாத்திக்கொண்டு இருந்தார்களா என்று தெரியவில்லை.

இவரின் எழுத்துக்களில் உள்ள ஆணாதிக்கத்தன்மை, அவசியமற்ற போலி அழகியல் கூறுகள் என்று பல விமர்சனங்களை முன்னிறுத்தி பல முறை நானே இவருக்கு மின்னஞ்சல் அனுப்பி உள்ளேன், அவை எதற்குமே இதுவரை பதில் வரவில்லை (அவர் எதையும் பிரசுரிக்க மாட்டார் என்பது எனக்கு தெரியும், சுருக்கமான பதிலாவது வரும் என்று எதிர்பார்த்தேன்). காமம் சார்ந்த ஒழுங்கியல், அதன் வரலாற்று அதிகார இருப்பிடங்கள் குறித்த எந்த ஒரு கட்டுடைப்பு சார்ந்த ஒப்பீடோ, கருத்தாக்கமோ இல்லாமல் வெறுமனே இவர், இவரின் நண்பர்கள் பலர் இளம் பெண்களுடன் பரிமாறிக்கொள்ளும் sms' களையும், தொலைபேசி உரையாடல்களையும் வெளியிடுவதன் நோக்கம் என்னவென்று தெரியவில்லை (other than feeding aged, male, sexually frustrated minds. It's sure a noble cause if that is it). இவற்றை எந்த போர்னோ ரகத்திலும் சேர்த்த முடியாது. of course, இந்த கூட்டத்தில் ஒரு இளம் ஆண் ஒரு முதிர்ந்த பெண்ணுடன் ஏற்படுத்திக்கொள்ளும் உறவு பற்றி ஒன்றும் எழுத மாட்டார். கேட்டால் எனக்கு அம்மாதிரி நண்பர்கள் இல்லை என்பார். ஏன் இப்படி உங்கள் கதைகளில் புளுகுகிறீர்கள் என்று கேட்டால் மட்டும் "இது புனைவு" என்று அங்கலாய்ப்பார். ஆனால் ஒரு முதிர்ந்த பெண்ணின் காம உணர்வுகள் பற்றி மட்டும் புனைய மாட்டார். தமிழ் சமுதாயத்தின் உடல் சார்ந்த அடக்கு முறைகளை அகற்ற இவர் போல் பாடுபடுபவர்கள் இல்லைதான்.

சாருவின் திரைப்பட விருப்பு வெறுப்புகள் (குறிப்பாக சமீபத்ய விருப்புகள்) பற்றி கேட்கவே வேண்டாம்: பருத்திவீரனின் ஆணாதிக்க கதாநாயகன் புதுமை என்று சொன்னது முதல் மொக்கை-திருட்டு-மாயாஜால கலவையான ஓம் ஷாந்தி ஓம்'இல் உள்ள பின் நவீனத்துவ கூறுகளை கண்டறிந்தது வரை சாருவின் சினிமா கூர்மை பல சமயங்களில் மழுங்கியிருக்கிறது.

இது எல்லாவற்றையும் விட என்னை மிகவும் எரிச்சலூட்டியது சாருவின் சமீபத்திய வித்தை: வலைத்தளத்தில் இவர் படித்து ரசித்த கென் - கென்னை - தன் வாரிசு என்று அறிவித்தது. பாசிசம் பற்றியும் அதிகார மையங்கள் பற்றியும் பீராயும் அதிபுத்திசாலி சாரு, இந்த "வாரிசு" வித்தையை எந்த ரகத்தில் சேர்ப்பார்? கென் சாருவிடம் போய் "ஐயா நான் உங்கள் பரம ரசிகன், உங்களை நான் என் தந்தைக்கும் மேலாக நினைக்கிறேன், ஆதலால் என்னை உங்கள் வாரிசாக அறிவியுங்கள்" என்று மன்றாடினாரா? (கென் பிறகு சாருவுக்கு கடிதம் எழுதியது, அந்த கடிதத்தில் இருந்த விஷயங்கள் எல்லாம் வேறு; இங்கு சம்மந்தம் இல்லை. தெருவில் போகும் ஒரு முதியவர், சும்மா எதிரில் வரும் என்னை பார்த்து "நான் உன்னை ஆசிர்வதிக்கிறேன்" என்று கூறினால், நான் நினைப்பேன் "பெருசு ஏதோ சொல்லுது, அது மனசு நோகாதமாறி எதாச்சும் சொல்லிட்டு நடயகட்டு". அது போலத்தான் கென் எழுதிய பதில் கடிதம்.)

அடுத்து இவர் கருணாநிதி பற்றி உருவாக்க நினைக்கும் மாயை. ஏதோ கருணாநிதி போன்ற ஒரு பரம சாதுவை இங்கு பாக்கவே இயலாது என்பது போல் எழுதிக்கொண்டிருக்கிறார். காமராஜர் ஆட்சி (அப்பா சரி, பக்தவச்சலம் ஆட்சி) கழகங்களுக்கு கைமாறியபோது தமிழகத்தில் ஊழலும் சாராயமும் மட்டும் நுழைந்துவிடவில்லை; குண்டர் கலாச்சாரம், கட்டப்பஞ்சாயத்து என்ற பல எழவுகளுக்கு வித்திட்டவர் இந்த கருணாநிதி. அண்ணாமலை பல்கலைகழக மாணவர்கள் படுகொலை முதல் மதுரை தினகரன் அலுவலகம் எரிப்பு (மூன்று பேர் கொலை) வரை கருணாநிதியுடன் நேரடி தொடர்புடைய வன்முறை சம்பவங்கள் பலவற்றை நினைவு கூறலாம். காழ்புணர்ச்சி என்பது ஜெயலலிதாவுக்கு மட்டும் உள்ள பிரத்தியேக பண்பு என்றால், இவர் விஜயகாந்தின் கட்டிடங்களை இடிப்பது எவ்வகை உணர்ச்சியின் அடிப்படை என்று புரியவில்லை. ஆனால் ஒன்று, இதெல்லாம் தி.மு.க தொண்டர்கள், அழகிரி, குறிப்பிட்ட வாரியத்துறை அமைச்சர், அரிவாள், புல்டோசர் கொக்கிமுனை இத்தியாதி, இவர்கள்தான் செய்தார்கள் என்று கூறி அறிவிப்பாடம் எடுக்காமல் இருந்தால் சரி.

கிசுகிசு பாணியில் "அந்த எழுத்தாளர்", "இந்த எழுத்தாளர்" என்று ஒரு எழுத்தாளரை கூட நேரடியாக விமர்சனம் செய்ய தைரியமில்லாத சாரு, "அவர் ஜெயலலிதாவை இம்மாதிரி விமர்சனம் செய்வாரா?" என்று கேட்கிறார். சரி, இவர் சொல்வது போல "அந்த எழுத்தாளருக்கு" (அநேகமாக ஞானியை சொல்கிறார் என்று நினைக்கிறேன்) ஜெயலலிதாவை விமர்சனம் செய்ய தைரியமில்லை என்றே வைத்துக்கொள்வோம் (ஞானி ஜெ'வை கடுமையாக விமர்சித்து பல முறை எழுதியிருக்கிறார் என்பது வேறு) - ஆக ஜெ'வை விமர்சனம் செய்ய தைரியம் இல்லையென்றால் கருணாநிதியின் ஊழல், குடும்ப அரசியல் பற்றியும் எழுதக்கூடாது, அப்படித்தானே? ஆஹா, அற்புதமான லாஜிக். கருணாநிதியின் முரசொலி மிரட்டல்கள் முன்பு போல திராவிடக் கைக்கூலிகளால் பொருட்படுத்தப்படுவதில்லை, அவ்வளவுதான். அவர் வேண்டுமானால் இன்றும் ம்' என்றால் தீக்குளிக்க ஆயிரம்பேர் வருவார்கள் என்ற கனவில் வாழ்ந்து கொண்டிருக்கலாம். கருணாநிதியின் இந்த சின்னப்புத்தியையும், அதன் பயனற்ற தன்மையையும் கருணாநிதியின் பரந்த உள்ளம் போல பாவிக்க வேண்டுமென்று சாரு விரும்புகிறார் போலும். மஞ்சள் துண்டு, மண்ணாங்கட்டி என்று பாசாங்கு காட்டிவிட்டு "கருணாநிதியை விமர்சனம் செய்துவிட்டேன் பார்" என்று சாரு சொன்னால், கேட்டுக்கொண்டு ஆமாம் சாமி போட அவர் ரஜினியும் இல்லை, நாங்கள் ரஜினி ரசிகர்களும் இல்லை. இன்றைக்கும் அழகிரி பற்றி பேசச்சொன்னால் மூச்சா போகும் சாரு, "யாரையும் அஞ்சாமல் விமர்சிப்பது" பற்றி ரொம்பத்தான் சவடால் அடிக்கிறார். "பாரதி போல் நான் தைரியசாலி இல்லை" என்று கூறி பம்மாத்து செய்துவிட்டால் இவர் சாயம் வெளுத்துப்போகாது என்று எண்ணிவிட்டாரா என்ன?

இவரின் நண்பர் கனிமொழி தேர்தலின்றி - பல மூத்த "தொண்டர்கள்" இருக்க, வெட்கமின்றி - நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் பதவியை ஏற்றுகொண்டது பற்றியும் சாரு வாய் திறக்க மாட்டார். அவர் அதிகாரத்தால் நடக்கும் சிபாரிசுகளை பயன்படுத்தவும் இவர் தயங்க மாட்டார் (காவல் துறை ஆணையர் அலுவலகம் சென்றது - ஒரு முறையேனும், விமர்சனதுக்குரியதே). இதையெல்லாம் கேட்டால் "இந்தியாவில் நடப்பது ஜனநாயகமே இல்லை, தமிழ்நாட்டு அரசியலில் எந்தக்கட்சிதான் குடும்ப அரசியல் நடத்தவில்லை" என்று கூறி கனிமொழிக்கு தலையயை சுற்றி மூக்கைத்தொட்டு கொடி பிடிப்பார்.

இப்பேர்ப்பட்ட ஒருவர்தான் விளிம்பு நிலை மனிதர்கள் பற்றி எழுதிக்கிழிக்கிறார்? இவர் பணத்தை எப்படி செலவிடுகிறார் என்பது பற்றியோ எங்கே உணவு உண்கிறார் என்பது பற்றியோ நான் விமர்சனம் செய்யப்போவதில்லை. இவர் சொல்வதுபோல் "நான் ராஜ வாழ்கை தான் வாழ்வேன்" என்றால் வாழ்ந்துவிட்டுப்போகட்டும். ஆனால் "முன்னூறு ரூபாய் குடுத்து சோறு தின்னால்தான் செரிக்கும்" என்றால், முப்பது ரூபாய்க்கு முனியாண்டி விலாசில் பிரியாணி தின்பவன் எல்லாம் முட்டாளா? அல்லது ருசி தெரியாத சொரணை கெட்ட ஜென்மமா? இவரின் "ராஜ வாழ்க்கையை" "விளிம்புநிலை மனிதர்களுக்கு" தெரியப்படுத்தி என்ன சாதிக்க விரும்புகிறார்? அதே நேரம் தான் பிச்சைக்காரன் போல பத்து ரூபாய்க்கு சிங்கி அடிப்பது பற்றி சொல்லிவிட்டால் இவர் "விளிம்பு நிலை மனிதர்களின்" பிரச்சனைகளை எதிரொளிப்பதுபோல் ஆகிவிடும் என்று என்னுகின்றாரா?

இந்த லட்சணத்தில் ஜெயமோகன் தன் மகன் பத்தாம் ஆண்டு மதிப்பெண் பற்றி எழுதியது குறித்து விமர்சனம் வேறு. இவர் தன் மகன் கார்த்திக் பற்றி மட்டும் அகோ ஓஹோ என்று எழுதுவார், கார்த்திக் நியுசிலாந்து சென்று எடுத்த படங்களை வெளியிடுவார். பொது ஒழுக்க நெறி, நல்லெண்ணம், மனிதாபிமானம் எல்லாம் பாசிசத்தின் அடிப்படைகள் என்று வாதிடும் சாரு, தன் மனைவி ஒரு ஏழைக்கு புடவை கொடுத்தது பற்றி புளகாங்கிதம் அடையவோ, அதே அடிப்படையில் தன் மகன் எப்படி உயர்ந்தவன் என்று சொல்லவோ தயங்குவதில்லை.

சாரு பற்றி அவர் இணையத்தளத்தில் வெளியிடப்படும் எழுத்துக்களை மட்டும் வைத்தே அவரை இன்னும் பல விமர்சனங்களுக்கு ஆட்படுத்தலாம், ஆனால் அதற்கு நேரமோ அவசியமோ இல்லை. இதுவரை படித்த விமர்சனங்கள் ஏற்புடயதாகப்பட்டால் மற்ற விஷயங்கள் தானாகவே புலப்படும். இல்லையென்றால் இது வெறும் "அவதூருகளாக்தான்" தெரியும்.

மமதை

2008-07-02T16:52:00.003-04:00

கமல் கிட்டத்தட்ட ஜெயலலிதாவைப் போல் ஆகி விட்டார் என்று நினைக்கிறேன். ஜெயலலிதாவைத்தான் யாரும் கட்சிக்குள்ளிருந்து விமர்சிக்க முடியாது. விமர்சிப்பவன் விரோதி என்ற தர்மம் அக்கட்சியினுடையது. மற்றும் , எல்லோருமே அவரை புரட்சித்தலைவி என்றே அழைக்க வேண்டும் ; நினைக்க வேண்டும். அதே போல் கமலை யாரும் விமர்சிக்க முடியாது. விமர்சித்தால் அவர் கமலின் விரோதி ; கமலின் சினிமா ஆர்வத்தைப் புரிந்து கொள்ளாத முட்டாள். மேலும் , அவரை உலக நாயகன் என்றே கருத வேண்டும். அப்படிக் கருதாதவருக்கு ஏதோ மோசமான உள்நோக்கம் இருக்கிறது. இதுதான் கமலின் இப்போதைய நிலை.

Source

Disclaimer: I don't agree with every assessment Charu Nivedita has made on different movies. Notable disagreements with his take on Gautam Menon, Ameer and Mozhi.

Roast of Kamal Haasan (or Dasavatharam)

2008-06-27T08:21:00.004-04:00

Download mp3

1-5.00: random stuff
7-00 - 13.00: Chaos theory and its popularity (quite boring, you may want to skip it)
17.00 - 25.00: scenes in the movie
28.00 - 35.00: Kamal the sucker (and Kamal the sell out)
35.00-45.00: random stuff

Edit: This is one of the articles I referred to, to refresh on Chaos theory's application

hahaha, paradhesi

2008-06-25T11:20:00.001-04:00

Novak Djokovic was upset in straight sets by Marat Safin in the second round Wednesday, ending the Serb's chances of testing his theory about Roger Federer's vulnerability.

Source

Gumbaloda...

2008-06-21T14:33:00.003-04:00

Five people, accompanying the body of a youth who died in an accident, were killed when the ambulance they were travelling in plunged into a river on Saturday.

Source

Applaud, I'm a jackass

2008-06-03T08:48:00.006-04:00

I've been a regular visitor of Kumudam.com for the last several months, mostly to watch interviews. There is a marked difference between interviews here and those you see in TV. Some of the interviews have been simply outstanding. Kutty Revathi, Mahendran, Nasser - (all offline) - and Thamizharuvi Maniyan are some that I liked the most. I was all the more excited when Gnani entered the arena with 'Gnani Pesukiren'. Gnani has had a left leaning approach to most of the issues he has dealt with in the past, so I expected his interview to be very incisive and sharp. And they were, for the most part.

His recent interview with director Ameer exposed what an immature idiot Ameer is. He not only refused to address Gnani's criticisms but also stifled the possibility of having a civilized conversation. Constantly getting into petty squabbles, it was a sad display of egomania. Because, Gnani eventually stooped low to Ameer's level (albeit only for a short time). Then I tried to find if anyone has blogged about this interview and landed on the video below (almost a year old).

Needless to say, Ameer's convoluted defense seem to find admiration among many who had assembled there (definitely among those who had commented for the video). The exchange reminded of some that we have had in this blog, but more specifically this. Just to quote a part of the exchage:
--quote--
Let's agree that 'Pokkiri' is a bad movie, then we shall discuss why it exists and what purpose it serves - that's where honest subjectivities creep in.
I'll quote what I said again,
"1. Pokkiri provides an escape from the troubled realities of the audience. kuthu songs lighten up their spirits. Movies like Pokkiri are essential for the smooth functioning of the society. 2. We cannot criticize it just because you don't like it. It's all subjective."
There are two syllogisms that don't quite flow together. The former doesn't warrant the latter. While Pokkiri may be 'essential' it's not "subjective bias" that leads you to criticize the movie. That's why I gave that example - a false syllogism that is widely used.
...
I haven't seen '300' yet, but assuming that Scott was right in his criticism (I don't know what value the word 'right' holds in these discussions) and if you contrast it with the movie's apparent BO success -- it may not say that 99% of those who paid for it are fucktards -- it does say that 99% of them are people who don't mind being unsophisticated fucktards for 90 minutes. People's willingness to take shit once in a while should not been mistaken as people value shit.
...
All art forms are subjective, but there is some universality that has evolved over time (much to our dismay). It's one of the "necessary evils" I suppose - but it exists. That's how we produce and communicate through art forms. Even the weirdest of artistic expressions won't appeal if the weirdness isn't visible - if it is limited just to the artist 's understanding of it. Of course, that brings us to the whole "do we consume how it's supposed to be consumed?" debate.
But in spite of all these complexities, I think it's intellectual dishonesty to say that "Mahanadhi and Pokkiri are good movies. It's just that I hate Pokkiri. But I'm sure a lot of others like it, which makes it no worse than Mahanadhi."
--unquote--

Yes, it's all been said several times over, but I still couldn't stop myself from flooding the video with comments.

It's interesting that people even tried to have this kind of QnA session with all these people present together. A melee would have been inevitable had this pseudo exchange continued a little longer. It was a major irony when Ameer mentioned Mahendran to drive a shallow point. If only he knew the things Mahendran had said in his interview in Kumudam (in spite of making some of the most decent movies in Tamil).

On a different note: I don't really find any difference between SJ Surya, Chimbu and Ameer (and probably hundreds of others whose interviews I haven't seen).

Sami

2008-06-02T15:02:00.003-04:00

The Sabarimala shrine in Kerala is in the news again this time about a divine light, which they have admitted has no celestial origin but is a manmade fire.
...
Both the government and the temple have for the first time admitted that it is not a celestial occurrence but a fire lighted by men.

Source

Chat

2008-05-26T06:28:00.005-04:00

I am playing chess. A chat window pops up:

Friend (6:40:33 AM): hey
Friend (6:41:15 AM): you there?
Friend (6:41:42 AM): helllllooo
Friend (6:42:26 AM): HELLLLLLLOOOOOOOOO!!

I think of replying "enda mayiru kathra?", but I pause. I minimize the chat window and continue my game.

Suresh (7:10:53 PM): Sorry, I wasn't around when you messaged me earlier.
Friend appears to be offline and will receive your messages after signing in.

Terminology

2008-05-23T05:47:00.007-04:00

Either choose the "both are acceptable" stance and move along or choose the 'right', although often archaic, version.
So there's a desi moron that I know who's constantly trying to outsmart me. His latest was this: "Suresh, it's not a rooter, but a rowter". Well, no, you nitwit. Rowter is a tool used in carpentry, rooter is the computer device you and I are referring to. idha naan sollala, Oxford dictionary solludhu, so indhaa kallu, oru oramaa poi mandaya odhachukko!

PS. We are, of course, talking about router.

Commentary

2008-05-21T09:45:00.005-04:00

IPL: Mumbai Indians vs. Kings XI Punjab

Greg Chappell: Pathan to Uthappa. Uthappa swings, the ball hits the helmet. (Uthappa removes the helmet to adjust it.) Looks like the helmet has left its imprint on Uthappa's head...oh it's actually his haircut.

WTF: Cyber Crime?

2008-05-20T15:13:00.002-04:00

Twenty-two-year old Rahul Krishnakumar Vaid was arrested by the cyber crime cell of Pune police last Friday from Gurgaon in Haryana for posting vulgar content about Congress president Sonia Gandhi on social networking site Orkut.

Vaid had posted the content in an Orkut community titled 'I hate Sonia Gandhi'.

Source

Vetti post-10

2008-05-12T11:29:00.005-04:00

Some right wing extremists used to comment that the US should bomb the Mecca on its most populous day and put an end to a big percentage of their foes. I know, it's the most barbaric thing to say. Only mindless drunk men can think of such things.

I don't drink or do drugs. But I still think the theatres screening Kuruvi should be hit with tomahawk missiles when they are 'houseful'.

PS. I cannot honestly say that my emotions will be different if either of them actually happened.

Tamil politics: MGR, Hogenakkal etc.

2008-05-04T03:57:00.005-04:00

I'm still not sure if I should publish this podcast. I have been "disrespectful" to many celebrities before, but I wonder what kind of people listen to that stuff and what's in store for me. A constant nag successfully made me moderate comments. I just hope that someone else doesn't make me change my phone number (I don't want to think about anything worse). Anyway, the title pretty much explains what the podcast is about. It has a lot of MGR bashing and some others.

Download mp3

Random Quote(2?)

2008-04-15T22:12:00.001-04:00

Upper class culture cannot be conceded to the upper classes, because it is the toil and blood of the working classes that has made that culture at all possible.

Source

Random Quote

2008-04-10T13:39:00.002-04:00

அசோகமித்திரன் கணையாழியில் 40 ஆண்டுகள் ஆசிரியர் பொறுப்பில் இருந்தவர். அதில்தான் 30 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு மேலாக சுஜாதா கடைசிப் பக்கங்களை எழுதினார். ஒரு வகையில் இருவரும் சகாக்கள். அப்படிப்பட்டவர் சுஜாதாவின் மரணத்திற்கு எழுதியிருக்கும் இரங்கல் கட்டுரை என்ன தெரியுமா ? " சுஜாதா எங்கள் வீட்டுக்கு வந்திருக்கிறார். அப்போது என்னிடம் ஒரு கேமரா இருந்தது. அந்தக் கேமராவில் நாங்கள் ஒரு போட்டோ எடுத்துக் கொண்டோம்." ஐயா , என்னை நம்புங்கள். அவ்வளவுதான் இரங்கல் கட்டுரை. இப்படி ஒரு இரங்கல் கட்டுரை வேறு எந்த எழுத்தாளருக்காகவும் , உலகில் வேறு எந்த மொழியிலும் எழுதப் பட்டிருக்காது என்று நினைக்கிறேன். இருக்கட்டும் , எனக்கும் ஒரு சந்தர்ப்பம் வராமலா போகப் போகிறது ? ' நான் அசோகமித்திரன் வீட்டுக்குப் போனேன். அவர் ஒரு பூனை வளர்த்தார். அது என்னைப் பார்த்து மியாவ் என்று சொன்னது. நானும் மியாவ் என்று அதனிடம் சொன்னேன். ' எழுதுகிறேனா இல்லையா என்று பாருங்கள் அசோகமித்திரன்.

Source

Headache

2008-04-07T01:50:00.008-04:00

Act 1:
Three years ago, when I came here to study, I was one of the few international students that my department took in. I was also the only 'non-Chinese' student. Some might wonder what the Chinese are doing in sociology? Well, there's demography...and...well, there's demography. But the department made sure that students don't swim their way across either choosing just theory courses or methods courses -- some were mandatory. So whether they liked it or not, they had to take some theory courses and I often happened to be the only non-White student who spoke decent English.

A couple of them became good friends and they felt comfortable to discuss the readings with me (especially when they had to do presentations). Because it was their first year, their English was very hard to understand and making them understand what I was saying didn't seem any easier. Something that I cannot forget about those 2-3 hour conversations is the ensuing headache. It's not so much their accent or my frustration with "explaining things", it's the prolonged state of heightened concentration to hear every word (then match it with a word that made the best sense in that context and so forth). Any activity that requires you to have that kind of concentration for that kind of time is bound to have a bad side effect. Zoning out, like I used to do in schools and colleges, was not an option because it's a conversation that requires you to say more than "hmm, interesting", "that's so cool", "really? neat!" etc.

Anyway, eventually I was done with my coursework, they got better at their English and we moved on. I was more than relieved that the episode(s) was over.

Act 2:
When it's too cold to play anything outside, I just sit home and play chess, online. But I easily get suckered in those egomaniacal marathons that before you know, the room is no longer bright with sunlight. By now you've been staring into black and white squares and moving little pieces with absolute precision (at least as far as the physical motion is concerned) for hours together in a CRT monitor. This is the kind of thing that makes you wear glasses. But it has other effects on me as well: starting with the proverbial headache and then the annoying "I want to throw up" feeling. After all, it is one of "those" activities.

One of "those" days: it was last Saturday and I had been playing chess for at least 4 hours without moving an inch. I finally gather some "courage" and decide to break the cycle. I wanted to expose my eyes to wider boundaries and let my pupils relax. I tell myself, "ok, this is the last game. Get up even if you lose in 20 moves, I cannot take it anymore". Just then I hear someone knocking my door. I simply resign the game, get up and open the door. Wow, great! It's my new Chinese friend.

April 1

2008-04-01T11:55:00.005-04:00

I don't really remember being all that creative to 'fool' someone on April the first. It's probably because I would get really annoyed after getting "fooled" by some retarded logic/process and I assumed mine wouldn't appear any better to others.

I did, however, very willingly take part in the no-nonsense ritual that was common in Dindigul and, based on some anecdotal knowledge, in few other cities (but Madras) -- splashing ink at your friends, cousins and at times, passers by in the street. Sometimes it also involved crushing tomatoes/bananas in the face. No, they don't just throw them at you; they get really close with absolute stealth and attack you from behind -- place the tomato at your face and squeeze the last drop of liquid down your eyes and nostrils. Usually there's someone to distract you, so it's a two men job (I don't really remember watching girls do this stuff).

The most irritating line we get to hear on April 1 is "annei, wheel suthudhu" from second and third grade students when we are pedaling in the hot sun. They all want to take part in this seemingly fun activity and want to feed their tiny, budding egos with being bold and clever. Little bastards.

Years have passed since then and there's not a lot of memories for me, for this day. Maybe where I lived in Madras had a lot to do with the dry spell since I left Dindigul. The schools were pretty lame too, there were no trees, no play grounds, just concrete pavements. Come to think of it, schools in Madras did not have the 'splash ink at the end of a major exam' ritual either.

PS. Try some of the featured videos in youtube (before April 2). They are all somewhat funny.

Socialistic nuisance

2008-03-25T17:44:00.008-04:00

It's still winter here (mostly below zero), and I live in one of those buildings that has several individual apartments and just two 'main' entrances. It's safe to say that no one would want to open their windows any longer than 5 minutes (if they even thought about opening them). So smoking, in these months, becomes a very edgy subject in apartments where one of the two (or three) residents doesn't smoke. Even otherwise, I would imagine smokers themselves wouldn't want the stench to be absorbed by their clothes.

Whatever the case is, at any given time you'll find at least 4 to 5 people -- mostly men -- smoking right outside the 'main' door. And because of the continuous feed of the carcinogenic gas, the whole area -- the small room between the two doors, the mail box area, the lift area etc., -- reeks so much that one could almost faint (well, at least I feel like it). I wasn't going to ask them to stop smoking because they were well within their "rights". Besides, I don't exactly look like Shaquille O'Neal. So I just thought about it as I got into the elevator, "they have two choices: one is to smoke in their own apartments and give migraine to their room-mates, or put all the residents through a 'mild' headache for one or two minutes. hmmm, the guys outside must be socialists".

Of course, the third choice, if you have to mention, is to quit smoking altogether. But we don't want to go there, do we?

Vetti pride

2008-03-20T18:37:00.005-04:00

Although I give rude replies to the comments that I get in my youtube 'channel' all the time, there are a few I don't 'approve' at all. To top it, I also send an annoying personal message to their inbox. And sometimes, I become so full of it that I post it someplace where I can look at it and go "cha, ennama think panraan?".

Comment:

the mere fact that u have uploaded a clip on a public domain, allows all of us, 2 say whatever we want. and like what u yourself have said "dont tell me, what 2 say or like".
so practise what you preach Mr MGR! bet u r not married! mm why should we b surprised!!

Reply:

About "freedom of expression":

Sure, it does allow us to say whatever we want. Only that I decide whether your nonsense will be posted in my channel. I'm not stopping your wimp-ass from uploading a video showing any part of you (or saying anything).

So there: your freedom of expression in my channel is under my control and I'm snipping it. Why? Because you are not worth it.
When you decide to make anything worthwhile in your channel and if I happen to comment on it, you may then want to reciprocate this arrogance. Until then, STFU. (And this is the last time I'm replying you.)

PS. This post may be a little contradictory to something that I might have said in the past, but what the hell?

Reaction

2008-03-19T08:45:00.001-04:00

I was mildly shocked to read that actor Raguvaran died. I think I feel bad about it.

adhu seri

2008-03-17T21:43:00.007-04:00

CNN-IBN

Face the Nation: Does India feel Tibet is no longer a cause worth fighting for?
On the panel of experts (our emphasis) to debate the issue were former president of the Samta Party and sympathizer of the Free Tibet Movement Jaya Jaitly, member of Free Tibet Movement Dawa Lokyitsang and Congress Spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

After some usual exchange of stupid ideas, it was time to witness a spectacle. Singhvi asked the anchor before launching his rhetoric, "[d]id the 'Tienanmen Square incident' take place in 1999?", for which she promptly replied, "yes". Having "confirmed" that "fact", he went on, "what did the NDA do when the Chinese government was killing all those people? naan ketkiren....". (Of course, I'm quoting roughly what he said.)

Why should one worry when we have such "experts" among us?

ek gaun mein

2008-03-10T00:49:00.000-04:00

Vetti Post - 9

2008-03-08T10:18:00.004-05:00

It was the summer holidays of the year 1993 and I used to listen to a comedy gig by 'Babu-Gopu' in a cassette player. It had a lot of actors (i.e. impersonated voices) put together in interesting scenarios. There was a very funny line that I can never forget.

Scenario: All the actors are gathered in TN assembly as elected representatives (on both ruling and opposition sides). The speaker starts the day with 'thamizh thaai vaazthu'.

Chorus: paandiyanin raajiyathil uiyyalaala (because, Rajini is the ruling party leader)
Kamal: idhuva thamizh thaai vazthu? (and sings angrily) oru vaai kozhupedutha...thamizachi paal kudichavan da!
Goundamani: yow! appa naanga mattum enna vellakarichi paalaya kudichu valandhom?

What reminded me of this? I was browsing through the 'headlines' and found that the Mumbai's IPL team has been named 'Mumbai Indians'. appo mathavan ellam Nepal'kaarana?

Found this

2008-03-08T09:03:00.000-05:00

WTF?

2008-03-04T00:16:00.004-05:00

In the match between India and Australia yesterday, there happened a fielding accident/incident involving Michael Clarke and Tendulkar. Basically, Clarke ran into Sachin and ended up dragging him down in the collision. Here's what Ravi Shastri had to say about it when they were showing it in the replay: "Clarke was going for the ball and ended up having something bigger in his hands". Just as he was saying that with a rather 'straight-faced tone', Clarke was seriously grappling with Sachin's buttocks in slow-motion. This is why cricket is worth watching with commentary on.

Ostracized solitude (in Tamil movies)

2008-03-02T00:46:00.005-05:00

This podcast is a general commentary on how solitude/family life etc., have been dealt with in Tamil movies over the years. It threads itself loosely around the movie Pirivom Sandhippom's theme, but it's not a review of the movie. (Download mp3.)

Apology: I realized that I had used the filler "vandhuttu" excessively throughout the podcast. Excuse me for that.

Sabapathy

2008-02-28T06:56:00.006-05:00

It's one of the funniest movies in Tamil. Even as a kid I laughed so hard when I first saw the movie, probably around 1990. I found the movie online and started watching it again. Among a lot of new surprises from my first time viewing, I picked up some ridiculously funny expressions. It's not just the comic timing, but the use of language, acting etc from a historical perspective. The movie is over half century old, you can see that a lot of things have changed since then. But some of the 'changes' catch you off guard. One of the parts that totally cracked me up was this (In case you don't have the time to watch it yourself):

There are two Sabapathys: the young 'master' and his slightly older servant. The servant is a bit of crackpot -- a bit more than the 'master'. Sabapathy and his mother visit the 'would be' bride's place with the servant accompanying them. They reach the place and as they get down from the car they hear someone dancing upstairs (bharathnatiyam it would seem). At this point the exchange goes:

Servant: amma, edho thevudiya kacheri nadakudhu
mother: edho vishesham pola irukku, nalla sagunam dhan

The word thevudiya--which is now more than derogatory and often bleeped--is used again, rather casually, in another scene that follows immediately. If you want to watch just this part, click on this link and slide it to 35 minutes. You can watch the entire movie from here.

Aside: The link between the word thevudiya and bharathnatiyam may be understood from this interesting post on the movie Arangetram.

Maida

2008-02-26T03:40:00.006-05:00

Based on some superficial research and a lot of painful experience, I want to say that maida and 'all purpose flour' are not the same. Maida has some minor percentage (I don't know exactly what %) of tapioca flour mixed in it, making it more elastic when made into a dough. Maida is also quite finer and whiter than 'all purpose flour'. Although the difference may seem insignificant, you'll feel the difference in the outcome of many dishes; especially when you try to make South-Indian style parottas. So all you cooking enthusiasts please start making this distinction in your recipes. Please don't continue with your dubious ingredients list and give others a hard time.

What prompted this post? The Patel guy who owns the Indian store where I buy my stuff, sold me a bag of 'all purpose flour' crudely labeled as maida. This is not the same pack I usually buy, so I ask if it's actually maida? He first argues that they are both the same. I almost refuse to buy this new bag because I get a strong feeling that, with the increase in wheat price and everything, they no longer export maida from India. And this guy just made his own little bags out of the regular 'all purpose flour'. Anyway, I bought it, got it home and got screwed up 'ceylon parottas'; disappointing my Sri Lankan friends and embarrassing myself.

PS. Both 'all purpose flour' and maida aren't the best food products for "healthy" eating.

Jodhaa Akbar

2008-02-23T05:12:00.006-05:00

I tried to download the movie a day after its release and much to my annoyance it turned to be a fake torrent. Well, there was another movie in its place -- Super Star. I did, however, get the actual movie yesterday. After watching it, I so wished that the second download was a fake too.

The fact that this movie has been lauded as one of the greatest in recent times just shows the perversion in the mainstream consumption of mainstream art forms, especially movies[1]. It happened among Tamil cinema viewers in the last decade. When the dearth of 'good' movies and pseudo-critiques in TV created an illusion of differentiating the 'good' from the 'bad'. Of course, the need to put down the Other -- non-Tamil movies, especially Hindi -- effectively blurred the viewers possible 'objective' assessment of a movie further. Veyyil and Paruthi Veeran are lauded ubiquitously, almost (Paruthi Veeran is also "going places")[2].

I wonder if the same phenomenon has caught up with the Hindi movie viewers as well. The need to "have something on par with Hollywood". I'm not as surprised by a few "critics" on TV because they are known to be cronies of one faction or the other. After all, they need someone for their 'Grope a star' kind of shows. But the mainstream viewer's enthusiasm to suck up, in this context, is slightly disturbing. They are either gleefully buying into the false binaries created by the TV hosts (Hrithik can act, Sunil Shetty cannot. Aishwarya Rai looks like a feathered turkey, but she looks stunning etc.) or they are caught in some kind of self imposed binary. To choose between national pride, supposedly represented by this "great Indian movie", and being an American boot-licker.

The reason one likes this movie cannot probably oversimplified like above, but who cares? When one likes an oversimplication like Jodhaa Akbar, he/she better be prepared undergo the same treatment.

-----------------------------------
1. To quote from one of my previous posts: the perversion is not in the consumption per se, but how it's perceived. Ex: when a health expert appears on TV and starts explaining the benefits of consuming 500ml Pepsi everyday.
2. Read this interesting column by Sudhir Mishra

WTF(s)?

2008-02-17T19:28:00.007-05:00

Dhoni is probably the worst batsman the Indian team has had in the last 5, 6 years. Whenever I talk about Sachin I say, "he brings in so much life and flavour to the game" at one point or the other. I think the opposite can be said about Dhoni. Everything becomes ugly and embarrassing. His unwieldy stroke-play, lack of technique -- ewww, this kind of cricket is probably fun to play; like in under-arm cricket at your 600x800 ft terrace, but it's so painful to watch. That's the way it has been since the day he stepped into the team (well, those days it was also his kuruvi koodu hair). But there was some hope that he'll be in and out, if not thrown out for good. No. What happened was the opposite -- he became the bloody captain. What's worse? Nobody in the media seemed to have a problem with that. Some even wanted him to be made the test captain. adhu seri.

A lot of people compare Afridi with Dhoni. There cannot be a bigger travesty. Afridi, as much as I hate him when he plays against India, is actually quite capable of playing decent cricket shots. This guy Dhoni, on the other hand, gives new meaning to the expressions "kaatan maadhiri", "kaatu adi" etc., (even that only when manages to send the ball to the boundary).

It's not so much his batting or the fact that he's been made the captain that irritates me, it's the unbelievable silence from the cricket commentators. Harsha came close to commenting on it, but chose to play it safe by asking Slater what the Australian cricketers thought about Dhoni's batting? The best that Slater could come up with was, "he's not the most orthodox player, but that's what is unique about him. The raw approach to the game." What?

Gavaskar to Shastri, none of them have a problem with the way he bats? Is this the big elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about? To top all this he has the nerve to assume self righteous authority when he talks. Who the hell said this moron is "humble"? "I could have a completed that run with my cramped leg"? Can you be a bigger asshole than this?

Disclaimer: some quotes may not be exact.

Found this

2008-02-14T17:52:00.004-05:00

I spend no less than an hour on youtube, everyday. I thought I'll share this video here. These guys are awesome (of course, only if you like random humour).

The solution

2008-02-06T03:36:00.000-05:00

I was running through a few comments for an article in a news website and an annoying exchange caught my attention for a brief moment. Because this is a common phenomenon, the site or the article is not really important. This is the pattern:
person 1: As long as we have blah blah blah, India will never improve (or something like that)
person 2: (in reply to person 1) It's easy to point fingers/criticize, but what's your solution?

I hate person 2, just as much as person 2 hates person 1. Maybe I hate person 2 a little more. As I've been asked this question several times and I've answered it a few times myself elsewhere, I'll mention it here. (It's often two stupid men, so let's go with that gender.) Why is he so obsessed with a solution? As if "solution" is the only problem. Except for a number of "purely" scientific questions, almost all other economic, political, sociological issues have been reasonably analyzed and 'answered' one way or the other. Only that the said answer, or "solution", if you will, would often exist as a moot point. So the "solution" is simply pushed aside and the queries are "analyzed" again with false teleologies; meanwhile funding certain brown men to upload cooking videos in youtube.

Applied, mutated versions of Marx's socialism to unapplied, much romanticized versions of anarcho-syndicalism, none of them can be a "solution" to anything. For the very notion of "solution" is inherently flawed, at least in the socio-political context. It can only exist and operate from within a continuum that transfigures the status-quo with respect to the new entry -- "solution" -- into the hitherto itself. And status-quo can't be anything but a problem, can it?

Anyway, you might want to ask, "so why is person 1 more agreeable than person 2?"
Well, person 1 is pissed off, and he wants to put his testosterone into an activity that will stop him from breaking his neighbor's wind pipe -- like, playing football, basketball or simply "whacking off" to porn (or "point fingers" in a blog). Person 2, wants to be the neighbor who wants to incriminate an innocent civilian to feed his masochism. Who would you rather?

India

2008-01-30T14:05:00.000-05:00

In an NDTV 'debate', a student said "This is a democratic country, these politicians are trying to make it into a socialist country". I don't think he knows this: The preamble of the constitution defines India as a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic (wiki page).

"Equality" is a constitutional right in India (including reservations for 'backward' classes).

PS. Hindi is not India's 'national language'. It does not have one.

Bluetooth Users

2008-01-29T12:53:00.000-05:00