Indian Writing

Michael Vick, American footballer and one of the highest-paid NFL players, is currently facing trial for operating an illegal dogfighting venture on his property, being involved in the related gambling activities, and… participating not only in the dog fights but also in the executions of some dogs. Ugh. Here’s what Vick’s father had to say:

Michael Vick’s estranged father said he pushed his son to quit dogfighting years ago or, at least, put property used for the fights in the name of friends to avoid being implicated some day.

Around 250,000 dogs are believed to be used for the cruel sport of “professional” dogfighting in the US, according to this BBC report.

Meanwhile, in a welcome decision, the Supreme Court of India has restored a High Court ban on the cruel sport of Jallikattu. While this report begins by seeing the Supreme Court order as “a setback to tourism” in Tamil Nadu, the local people claim that this is part of their culture and not about cruelty. Not about cruelty? Really? A crowd several thousands strong, getting their thrills from watching a forcibly intoxicated bull being provoked by a group of several men?

What does Whisky doggie say?
Woof, woof!

What does Baby say?
Aaaaaaaaaa-

- and one more spoonful of khichdi goes into a little mouth.

I liked this Indian Express piece by Chak de India scriptwriter Jaideep Sahni on the spirit of the film:

We chose not to falsely glorify everything about India. We chose not to skirt the issues of gender, religion, region and language biases but take them on, because we thought that was patriotic. We chose not to conveniently edit out the inconvenient truths, hiding behind national team’s thrust forward as examples of perfectly channelised nationalism by sports administrators. We chose to display our admiration for incredible people in unfashionable clothes, many belonging to parts of India which the shining new India doesn’t have much time for…

We chose to treat athletes like athletes, irrespective of the fact whether they were Indian or foreign, women or men, winners or losers. And we did all of this not because we thought we were some great messiahs who would redefine either films or nationalism, but as storytellers telling a story the only way we understood it — with the sensibilities that made sense to our hearts and minds. We tried to neither use chauvinistic patriotism to push our characters for commerce, nor sweep the genuine patriotism of national athletes under a carpet of chic modernity…

There is a time honoured name for this kind of patriotism — it’s called the spirit of sportsmanship.

In 3 Quarks daily, Azra Raza remembers Qurratulain Hyder:

Last year, we were chatting on the phone when something I said reminded her of a wonderful anecdote about the great Ismat Chughtai. Ismat Apa was trying to give some extra money to her washerman, an extremely poor, illiterate man from some hinterland in UP. He asked her what he was supposed to do with the money, and Ismat Apa said what do you mean what are you supposed to do with the money? Buy toys for your children. His response was a drawled out “Phaiiiiinh???” (the Purbi version of phir which means and then?). And Ismat Apa said, well, buy some new clothes for your wife, and he said “Phaiiiiinh???” And on and on. So Azra Begum, this is what life is all about…..a never ending series of “Phaiiiiinhs???” I got the Sahitya Academy Fellowship …. “Phaiiiiinh???” I got the Bharatiya Gnanpith (India’s highest literary award)……..“Phaiiiiinh???” I get the Nobel Prize tomorrow …… “Phaiiiiinh???”