Indian Writing

(translated by A.K.Ramanujan. Poem courtesy Minstrels)

The Paradigm

We here and that man, this man,
and that other in-between,
and that woman, this woman,
and that other, whoever,

those people, and these,
and these others in-between,
this things, that thing,
and this other in-between, whichever,

all things dying, these things,
those things, those others in-between,
good things, bad things,
things that were, that will be,

being all of them,
he stands there.

— Nammalwar

Gabriel Garcia Marquez on Fidel Castro.

How the web has changed the English language.

Martin Kettle on the NYRB.

And Ngugi wa Thiong’o:

“What is so devastating in a dictatorship is the taking away of a voice,” he says. And the prevalence of English in the world, he argues, has only sharpened that blade against the larynx of indigenous peoples. “It is not a balanced equation if all languages must come to English to mean something.”

The sad thing about K-Jo’s new film is that it really does attempt a somewhat different take on the mainstream Bollywood version of marriage and relationships - but this potentially interesting story is hidden deep beneath raging torrents of tears. There’s not only adultery, but also divorce, even death - and then, after more tears, there’s a ‘happy ending’… And in yet another role that would have been hideous in the hands of anyone else (such as, shudder, Anupam Kher) AB plays a slightly crazy, mildly creepy old philanderer.

But the film can’t resist pouring bucketloads of treacle over the whole affair. And then it adds a bunch of openly sexist comments, a few vaguely racist and homophobic remarks, and some really alarming treatment of a child. And then it sets the whole thing on the vile swamp of Femly Values.

Grrrr.

Update: Now that I’m in a (gasp) slightly less disturbed state, I have to mention two uber-cool special appearances - Kajol and John Abraham. Also two nice song and dance arrangements - Rock and Roll Soniye and Where’s the Party Tonight?

Though Mitvaaaaaa was unbearably soulful.