"The world is what it is; men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it." ― V.S. Naipaul, A Bend in the River
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Home and Away
I am going away for about two weeks. Travelling again. Will miss you all but hope I will come back with interesting news!
Friday, May 13, 2005
It's Cannes time again!
So, the newspapers are agog with news from the Cannes. I opened The Hindustan Times and there were pictures of Aishwarya, along with a French actress', her seductive smile bewitching the photographers. Thankfully her (black) dress looked fine unlike the last time and seemed to complement the dress of the French actress (she was in white). B&W!
The New York Times also has Aish on the first slide of its multimedia review of Cannes. I could see Nandita Das on the second slide, in a resplendent sari, standing along with other members of the jury.
NYT has an interesting section on Cannes. I loved Emir Kusturica's profile. Kusturica (pronounced KOOS-toor-eet-sa) is leading the Cannes jury this time. I knew so little about this man.
"Born in 1954, Kusturica grew up an only child in a secular Muslim family in Sarajevo, the capital of the Yugoslav republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. At 18 he was packed off to Prague to study at the Czech state film school, FAMU, in part thanks to the older Kusturicas' anxiety over the young Emir's enthusiastic interest in minor acts of youthful criminality. It didn't take him long to be noticed. By the time he was 40, he had already won most of the major prizes the film world has to offer. "
The guy hates Hollywood. He says:
''What you have now is a Hollywood that is pure poison,'' Kusturica says. ''Hollywood was a central place in the history of art in the 20th century: it was human idealism preserved. And then, like any great place, it collapsed, and it collapsed into the most awful machinery in the world. Why don't I see a Frank Capra today? Because people aren't like this anymore? People haven't changed that much in 60 years.''
I cannot disagree with him. What do you think?
The New York Times also has Aish on the first slide of its multimedia review of Cannes. I could see Nandita Das on the second slide, in a resplendent sari, standing along with other members of the jury.
NYT has an interesting section on Cannes. I loved Emir Kusturica's profile. Kusturica (pronounced KOOS-toor-eet-sa) is leading the Cannes jury this time. I knew so little about this man.
"Born in 1954, Kusturica grew up an only child in a secular Muslim family in Sarajevo, the capital of the Yugoslav republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. At 18 he was packed off to Prague to study at the Czech state film school, FAMU, in part thanks to the older Kusturicas' anxiety over the young Emir's enthusiastic interest in minor acts of youthful criminality. It didn't take him long to be noticed. By the time he was 40, he had already won most of the major prizes the film world has to offer. "
The guy hates Hollywood. He says:
''What you have now is a Hollywood that is pure poison,'' Kusturica says. ''Hollywood was a central place in the history of art in the 20th century: it was human idealism preserved. And then, like any great place, it collapsed, and it collapsed into the most awful machinery in the world. Why don't I see a Frank Capra today? Because people aren't like this anymore? People haven't changed that much in 60 years.''
I cannot disagree with him. What do you think?
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Tash Aw in Time Magazine
Reviewer Donald Morrison has given a good review of Tash Aw's novel, The Harmony Silk Factory in the Time.
"Malaysia is a land rich in farmers, civil servants and electronics assembly workers, but poor in novelists. That's an odd deficit, given the country's high levels of literacy, prosperity and anxiety, as well as an abundance of history, politics, ethnic tension and other delicate topics that can be used as material. All of which makes Tash Aw's debut novel worthy of close inspection.
The first major work of fiction written in English by a Malaysian about his country in recent memory, Aw's The Harmony Silk Factory has won enthusiastic reviews since its publication in March in the U.S. and the U.K. Foreign rights have been sold in nearly a dozen countries, and the book will appear in Asia in June. Malaysians looking for insights into their country's modern condition may be disappointed. Other readers may find themselves enjoyably lost in a land of magic and mayhem."
After the first two paragraphs, Donald pretty much gives away the story. But he ends it well:
"The Harmony Silk Factory doesn't strain to be The Great Malaysian Novel. That's a deliberate decision by Aw, 33, who considers himself "100% Malaysian," though born in Taipei (to Malaysian-Chinese parents), raised in Kuala Lumpur, educated at Cambridge and now resident in London. "I didn't set out to incorporate any particularly Malaysian themes," Aw said from New York City, where he was on a promotional tour. "My intention was to demolish the Malaysian historical novel of the 1930s and '40s, as influenced by Somerset Maugham. You know, the idea that there are only two versions of Malaysia in literature—a place where white men sit around drinking pink gin, and a place full of colorful people doing quaint things. I wanted to write a book that didn't depend on settings."
Read the review here.
Very good for Tash. I saw a copy of the book in Kinokuniya recently here. Alas, my reading list is so long! This book will have to wait for me.
"Malaysia is a land rich in farmers, civil servants and electronics assembly workers, but poor in novelists. That's an odd deficit, given the country's high levels of literacy, prosperity and anxiety, as well as an abundance of history, politics, ethnic tension and other delicate topics that can be used as material. All of which makes Tash Aw's debut novel worthy of close inspection.
The first major work of fiction written in English by a Malaysian about his country in recent memory, Aw's The Harmony Silk Factory has won enthusiastic reviews since its publication in March in the U.S. and the U.K. Foreign rights have been sold in nearly a dozen countries, and the book will appear in Asia in June. Malaysians looking for insights into their country's modern condition may be disappointed. Other readers may find themselves enjoyably lost in a land of magic and mayhem."
After the first two paragraphs, Donald pretty much gives away the story. But he ends it well:
"The Harmony Silk Factory doesn't strain to be The Great Malaysian Novel. That's a deliberate decision by Aw, 33, who considers himself "100% Malaysian," though born in Taipei (to Malaysian-Chinese parents), raised in Kuala Lumpur, educated at Cambridge and now resident in London. "I didn't set out to incorporate any particularly Malaysian themes," Aw said from New York City, where he was on a promotional tour. "My intention was to demolish the Malaysian historical novel of the 1930s and '40s, as influenced by Somerset Maugham. You know, the idea that there are only two versions of Malaysia in literature—a place where white men sit around drinking pink gin, and a place full of colorful people doing quaint things. I wanted to write a book that didn't depend on settings."
Read the review here.
Very good for Tash. I saw a copy of the book in Kinokuniya recently here. Alas, my reading list is so long! This book will have to wait for me.
Monday, May 09, 2005
Publishing Lessons
I do not happily bring bad news about writing and writers. No that doesn't give me a kick. I do not promote e-publishing nor do I approve of vanity publishing. And yet, off-the-beaten-track anecdotes about publishing successes, about someone realising his/her dream of becoming a writer interest me. Often, it touches my heart as I can imagine how it feels to get what one wants.
I was touched to read Stewart Dalby's account: how, at 60, he did it for himself!
Young ladies, Dalby brings good news for you: "Publishers will only put money into a book if you are young, preferably female, write about magicians, and have five or six other books in front of you".
Are you going to write about magicians now?
I was touched to read Stewart Dalby's account: how, at 60, he did it for himself!
Young ladies, Dalby brings good news for you: "Publishers will only put money into a book if you are young, preferably female, write about magicians, and have five or six other books in front of you".
Are you going to write about magicians now?
Grass Talks
I was beginning to believe that intellectuals no more talked about socialism, capitalism, and globalization. Until I read this piece by Gunter Grass in a recent issue of The Guardian. Grass has raised important issues, in the context of Germany, but his points are relevant for all of us:
"...parliament is no longer sovereign in its decisions. It depends on powerful pressure groups — the banks and multinationals — which are not subject to any democratic control. Parliament has thereby become an object of ridicule. It is degenerating into a subsidiary of the stock exchange. Democracy has become a pawn to the dictates of globally volatile capital. So can we really be surprised when more and more citizens turn away from such blatant scams, indignant, antagonised and ultimately resigned and regard elections as a simple farce and decline to vote? What is needed is a democratic desire to protect Parliament against the pressures of the lobbyists by making it inviolable. But are our parliamentarians still sufficiently free for a decision that would bring radical democratic constraint?"
A very potent argument!
Here he talks about the job market and how the over the hill people are finding it difficult to stay in employment.
"The consequences of this development disguised as globalisation are clearly coming to light and can be read from the statistics. With the consistently high number of jobless, which in Germany has now reached five million, and the equally constant refusal of industry to create new jobs, despite demonstrably higher earnings, especially in the export area, the hope of full employment has evaporated. Older employees, who still had years of work left in them, are pushed into early retirement. Young people are denied the skills for entering the world of work. Even worse, with simultaneous complaints that an ageing population is a threat and the demand, repeated parrot-fashion, to do more for young people and education, the Federal Republic — still a rich country — is permitting, to a shameful extent, the growth of what is called "child poverty"."
So much food for thought. And for a change, this piece is not written by Arundhati Roy who seems to have monopolized this segment of discussion. Relish it here.
"...parliament is no longer sovereign in its decisions. It depends on powerful pressure groups — the banks and multinationals — which are not subject to any democratic control. Parliament has thereby become an object of ridicule. It is degenerating into a subsidiary of the stock exchange. Democracy has become a pawn to the dictates of globally volatile capital. So can we really be surprised when more and more citizens turn away from such blatant scams, indignant, antagonised and ultimately resigned and regard elections as a simple farce and decline to vote? What is needed is a democratic desire to protect Parliament against the pressures of the lobbyists by making it inviolable. But are our parliamentarians still sufficiently free for a decision that would bring radical democratic constraint?"
A very potent argument!
Here he talks about the job market and how the over the hill people are finding it difficult to stay in employment.
"The consequences of this development disguised as globalisation are clearly coming to light and can be read from the statistics. With the consistently high number of jobless, which in Germany has now reached five million, and the equally constant refusal of industry to create new jobs, despite demonstrably higher earnings, especially in the export area, the hope of full employment has evaporated. Older employees, who still had years of work left in them, are pushed into early retirement. Young people are denied the skills for entering the world of work. Even worse, with simultaneous complaints that an ageing population is a threat and the demand, repeated parrot-fashion, to do more for young people and education, the Federal Republic — still a rich country — is permitting, to a shameful extent, the growth of what is called "child poverty"."
So much food for thought. And for a change, this piece is not written by Arundhati Roy who seems to have monopolized this segment of discussion. Relish it here.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Macmillan's controversial deal for new authors
Macmillan has come out with a fancy deal for new authors and it has already attracted controversy.
As per the scheme, new writers can now directly send their manuscripts to Macmillan. This means completely bypassing the age-old route of going to a publisher through an agent. This is good news for writers who can't even get picked up by snooty agents!
However, there is a downside too. There are no big, fat advances in case Macmillan chooses to publish the work. In fact, there is no advance at all. The author will get royalties based on actual sales.
The critics of this scheme are calling it a scam. It will deprive new authors of their economic opprtunities, they say. The supporters of the scheme argue that it will help spot new talent who are filtered out by agents.
I like what Jamie Byng of Canongate Books says: "Anyone who is ambitious for their book won't go down this route. But then you don't have to do it. The deal is fine, it's OK. If you'd spent years and years working on your novel and no agent will look at it you'd be bloody grateful for this. Good luck to them."
What do you think?
As per the scheme, new writers can now directly send their manuscripts to Macmillan. This means completely bypassing the age-old route of going to a publisher through an agent. This is good news for writers who can't even get picked up by snooty agents!
However, there is a downside too. There are no big, fat advances in case Macmillan chooses to publish the work. In fact, there is no advance at all. The author will get royalties based on actual sales.
The critics of this scheme are calling it a scam. It will deprive new authors of their economic opprtunities, they say. The supporters of the scheme argue that it will help spot new talent who are filtered out by agents.
I like what Jamie Byng of Canongate Books says: "Anyone who is ambitious for their book won't go down this route. But then you don't have to do it. The deal is fine, it's OK. If you'd spent years and years working on your novel and no agent will look at it you'd be bloody grateful for this. Good luck to them."
What do you think?
Writers, Investment Banking, and Big Advances
First, there was Mohsin Hamid, a Pakistani in the US and an investment banker by profession, who hit the jackpot with his Moth Smoke.
Then, there was this news about Kaavya Viswanathan (discussed in a previous post) who is on her way at Harvard to become an investment banker. She has just received $500,000 advance for her Opal Mehta novels.
Now I hear about Lavanya Sankaran who is also an investment banker. Her novel The Red Carpet is releasing today. Nine publishers auctioned hotly for her book, finally ending in a ‘‘substantial six-figure advance’’ won by Susan Kamil of Dial Press, an imprint of Random House. The UK rights were bought by Headline Review, which is also distributing it in India.
What do you say to this? Money attracts/begets money?
Meanwhile, I read the cautionary tale of Keith, a thriller writer, on THE TROUBLE WITH BIG ADVANCES. Quite an instructive read.
Tailpiece: The Outlook reports that Vikram Seth's much awaited WW II saga will come out end of the year. Avid readers will have to wait! "The jacket is ready, the announcement has been made, but the book is not yet ready," Seth confessed recently in Delhi.
Then, there was this news about Kaavya Viswanathan (discussed in a previous post) who is on her way at Harvard to become an investment banker. She has just received $500,000 advance for her Opal Mehta novels.
Now I hear about Lavanya Sankaran who is also an investment banker. Her novel The Red Carpet is releasing today. Nine publishers auctioned hotly for her book, finally ending in a ‘‘substantial six-figure advance’’ won by Susan Kamil of Dial Press, an imprint of Random House. The UK rights were bought by Headline Review, which is also distributing it in India.
What do you say to this? Money attracts/begets money?
Meanwhile, I read the cautionary tale of Keith, a thriller writer, on THE TROUBLE WITH BIG ADVANCES. Quite an instructive read.
Tailpiece: The Outlook reports that Vikram Seth's much awaited WW II saga will come out end of the year. Avid readers will have to wait! "The jacket is ready, the announcement has been made, but the book is not yet ready," Seth confessed recently in Delhi.
Friday, April 29, 2005
Blogger Burnout
The past few weeks have seen the end of several interesting blogs. These blogs have been my personal favourites, and it is sad to see them die. In many cases, the main reason for their closure/inactivity is the unpleasant slugfest between the blogger and the readers. Sometimes it is the pressure to update the blog that has turned the blogger against blogging. In one case, the blogger is plain bored to carry it on any longer. Isn't that a case of blogger burnout?
Things like this are happening worldwide now. The Wired has come out with an interesting piece on this phenomenon. Read it here.
Things like this are happening worldwide now. The Wired has come out with an interesting piece on this phenomenon. Read it here.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Another Manil Suri?
Looks like another Manil Suri in terms of the deal but she is much younger.
Here is the news:
"A teenaged Indian-American girl, who is yet to make her literary debut, has secured a staggering Rs 2.2 crore two-book deal with a prestigious American publishing house. US-born Kaavya Viswanathan, studying in Harvard to be an investment banker, has been given a whopping $ 500,000 in advance by Little Brown and Company, one of the oldest American publishers, now part of the Time Warner Group. "I still cannot believe this. I never expected this would happen," Viswanathan, the only child of Viswanathan Rajaraman, a neurosurgeon, and Mary Sundaram, a gynaecologist, told The New York Sun. Most first-time writers of fiction receive advances of less than $ 10,000, according to Donya Dickerson, the editor of Writer's Digest Books. "I had only vaguely thought of becoming a writer. But a book contract? From a major publisher? This is so incredibly unbelievable. It's so hard to believe that I'm going to be able to walk into a bookstore and see something that I wrote on display there," Viswanathan told Sun. Viswanathan, both of whose books will be fiction, said she expects to deliver the first volume, tentatively titled 'How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got In', by next month end. The novel is expected to be published next spring. "The main character (of her first novel) is a girl of Indian descent who's totally academically driven, and when she senses from a Harvard admissions officer that her personal life wasn't perhaps well-rounded, Ms Mehta goes out and does what she thinks 'regular' American kids do - get drunk, kiss boys, dance on the table," Viswanathan told Sun."
Here is the news:
"A teenaged Indian-American girl, who is yet to make her literary debut, has secured a staggering Rs 2.2 crore two-book deal with a prestigious American publishing house. US-born Kaavya Viswanathan, studying in Harvard to be an investment banker, has been given a whopping $ 500,000 in advance by Little Brown and Company, one of the oldest American publishers, now part of the Time Warner Group. "I still cannot believe this. I never expected this would happen," Viswanathan, the only child of Viswanathan Rajaraman, a neurosurgeon, and Mary Sundaram, a gynaecologist, told The New York Sun. Most first-time writers of fiction receive advances of less than $ 10,000, according to Donya Dickerson, the editor of Writer's Digest Books. "I had only vaguely thought of becoming a writer. But a book contract? From a major publisher? This is so incredibly unbelievable. It's so hard to believe that I'm going to be able to walk into a bookstore and see something that I wrote on display there," Viswanathan told Sun. Viswanathan, both of whose books will be fiction, said she expects to deliver the first volume, tentatively titled 'How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got In', by next month end. The novel is expected to be published next spring. "The main character (of her first novel) is a girl of Indian descent who's totally academically driven, and when she senses from a Harvard admissions officer that her personal life wasn't perhaps well-rounded, Ms Mehta goes out and does what she thinks 'regular' American kids do - get drunk, kiss boys, dance on the table," Viswanathan told Sun."
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
E-publishing Success
Desperate writers go for desperate means. And some succeed too.
After the vanity press, there is now e-publishing and print-on-demand (POD) publishing. Aren't they interchangable?
The latest star of POD publishing is Amy Fisher whose book "If I knew then..." has been published by iUniverse. Her book was on the NYT Best Selling List for a week. Now the NYT has done a story on this book's success in the light of POD publishing's spreading tentacles.
Here is how the story begins:
"When Amy Fisher finished writing her memoir about shooting her lover's wife, she told her agent not to send the manuscript to New York publishers. Instead, Fisher, who made headlines in 1992 as the 17-year-old ''Long Island Lolita,'' turned to iUniverse in Lincoln, Neb. The company charges authors several hundred dollars to convert a manuscript into a book and make it available for sale online."
The story is worth reading. Read it here (you need log in id and password which comes free).
After the vanity press, there is now e-publishing and print-on-demand (POD) publishing. Aren't they interchangable?
The latest star of POD publishing is Amy Fisher whose book "If I knew then..." has been published by iUniverse. Her book was on the NYT Best Selling List for a week. Now the NYT has done a story on this book's success in the light of POD publishing's spreading tentacles.
Here is how the story begins:
"When Amy Fisher finished writing her memoir about shooting her lover's wife, she told her agent not to send the manuscript to New York publishers. Instead, Fisher, who made headlines in 1992 as the 17-year-old ''Long Island Lolita,'' turned to iUniverse in Lincoln, Neb. The company charges authors several hundred dollars to convert a manuscript into a book and make it available for sale online."
The story is worth reading. Read it here (you need log in id and password which comes free).
Monday, April 25, 2005
The Making of William Faulkner
J M Coetzee, one of my favourite authors, has done a great review essay on the life of American writer William Faulkner in the new online issue of NRB. It is a brilliant essay that gives a glimpse into the life of Faulker and looks at factors that shaped him as a writer. Sample this:
Now I realise for the first time," wrote William Faulkner to a woman friend, looking back from the vantage point of his mid-fifties, "what an amazing gift I had: uneducated in every formal sense, without even very literate, let alone literary, companions, yet to have made the things I made. I don't know where it came from. I don't know why God or gods or whoever it was, selected me to be the vessel."
It is a must read. Highly recommended.
Another interesting piece that has appeared in LRB is Blood for Oil? The essay is by Retort , a group of writers and activists, that examines whether oil was the reason for the invasion of Iraq. Didn't we know it already?
Anyway, go read it!
Now I realise for the first time," wrote William Faulkner to a woman friend, looking back from the vantage point of his mid-fifties, "what an amazing gift I had: uneducated in every formal sense, without even very literate, let alone literary, companions, yet to have made the things I made. I don't know where it came from. I don't know why God or gods or whoever it was, selected me to be the vessel."
It is a must read. Highly recommended.
Another interesting piece that has appeared in LRB is Blood for Oil? The essay is by Retort , a group of writers and activists, that examines whether oil was the reason for the invasion of Iraq. Didn't we know it already?
Anyway, go read it!
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Aishwarya's hype machine
Talking of Aishwarya Rai (in my previous post), Tehelka has done a good job of blowing the lid off her hype machine. I have been wondering for a long time about the planted stories in the Indian media extolling Aishwarya's successes as a crossover actress. If one were to believe in those stories, one would imagine that in no time Aish would take Hollywood by storm and would firmly put the imprimatur of India on the international marquee.
Unfortunately, all this hype and hoopla lies exposed now.
In the past one year, she hardly had any successful film: all her recent releases, such as Raincoat, Shabd, and Pride and Prejuduce have been commercial flops. Then the stories about her being signed for the next Bond movie, about her being an Academy Award presenter, and about her having been cast with Maryl Streep in Chaos have been found to be anything but true. Even in her forthcoming movie, Mistress of Spices, she has been paired against an unknown television actor.
In the first place I never had believed in these stories. I am glad that someone has done that for the unsuspecting masses: separating the truth from unfounded rumours. People like Aishwarya should understand that in the day and age of ubiquitous internet access people can verify news. It is sad that some stars take public's interest for granted and feed them with unnecessary news to bolster their image.
Aishwarya should work hard on her films and her popularity will automatically soar. Why can't she learn from Rani Mukherjee (terrific in Black and Yuva)? Or at least she can take a few cues from Mallika Sherawat (a sex bomb but hardly an actress of repute) who's done a film with Jackie Chan and is ready to hit the red carpet in Cannes this year. She may not be a terrific actress but at least she is not lying through her teeth.
But, maybe, Aish is not perturbed by all this hype-busting. After all, she may think that even bad publicity is good publicity!
Unfortunately, all this hype and hoopla lies exposed now.
In the past one year, she hardly had any successful film: all her recent releases, such as Raincoat, Shabd, and Pride and Prejuduce have been commercial flops. Then the stories about her being signed for the next Bond movie, about her being an Academy Award presenter, and about her having been cast with Maryl Streep in Chaos have been found to be anything but true. Even in her forthcoming movie, Mistress of Spices, she has been paired against an unknown television actor.
In the first place I never had believed in these stories. I am glad that someone has done that for the unsuspecting masses: separating the truth from unfounded rumours. People like Aishwarya should understand that in the day and age of ubiquitous internet access people can verify news. It is sad that some stars take public's interest for granted and feed them with unnecessary news to bolster their image.
Aishwarya should work hard on her films and her popularity will automatically soar. Why can't she learn from Rani Mukherjee (terrific in Black and Yuva)? Or at least she can take a few cues from Mallika Sherawat (a sex bomb but hardly an actress of repute) who's done a film with Jackie Chan and is ready to hit the red carpet in Cannes this year. She may not be a terrific actress but at least she is not lying through her teeth.
But, maybe, Aish is not perturbed by all this hype-busting. After all, she may think that even bad publicity is good publicity!
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Indo-Pak Friendship: "Give Aishwarya, take Kashmir"
There is a huge splash in the Indian media these days regarding the peace process between India and Pakistan. Pak President Musharraf recently visited India, apparently to watch a cricket match. However, the real intent was to give a push to the sluggish peace process. The results have been heartening. New public contact measures are being taken and trade routes are going to open.
I am glad that the relations between the two neighbours are improving. In fact, on my way to Muscat via Karachi, I was befriended by two Pakistani guys who expressed similar feelings. They were from Karachi and were returning home after making a business visit to Singapore, and seemed to have a great time. I briefly met them in the smoking room in Bangkok's transit lounge. Later, they boarded the same flight that I was on. They were so keen to know about India that it seemed impossible for me to answer all their questions. They were like firing bullets one after another. They had a quench for India and things Indian that was difficult to satisfy.
In the beginning of the journey, they were unable to believe that I was not from Pakistan. The reason was my Urdu. They thought the kind of Urdu I was speaking was no more taught or practised in India. They were sitting just in front of my seat and were arguing like this:
"Bhai Karachi ja rahe hain" (Brother is going to Karachi)
"Nahin, Bhai Muscat ja rahe hain" (No, brother is going to Muscat)
"Par Karachi to ruk kar jayenge, kyon Bhai?" (But will be stopping over at Karachi, won't you bro?), one of the guys asked me.
I told them that I was from India and I was going to Muscat. They were really surprised to know my Indian status. Then they started asking me questions. Sample these:
Are Indian people as beautiful as they show in Indian TV serials?
Are Muslims safe in India? Are there riots there everyday?
Can Muslims say their azaans on loud speakers? I heard that they cannot. It is not allowed.
Muslims are killed in Kashmir everyday. Is it true?
What do Indian Muslims think about Kashmir?
What do you think? Shouldn't the people of Kashmir be given a chance to decide the fate of their own land?
What do you think--who would the people of Kashmir turn to if they are given a choice to either join India or Pakistan?
Are there poor people in India? Is there anybody in India who goes to bed without bread? Like in our Pakistan, there aren't any such poor people. Even our beggars in Karachi have color TVs.
And so on...
I was really sad about this last question. I could not tell them that all was well with India. Of course, there are lacs of destitute people in our country who have neither homes nor adequate food.
When I got a chance, I also asked them about Pakistan's craze about Bollywood. They confirmed by saying that they didn't watch anything but Bollywood movies. Pakistani movies are pathetic, they said.
No wonder Amitabh Bachchan was suggesting to hold the next IIFA Awards in Pakistan.
While we were discussing movies, one of them suggested: "We can solve the Kashmir dispute easily. Give us Aishwarya Rai and take Kashmir."
I could not stop chukling at this. I countered: "Aishwarya is difficult to part with. What about Laloo (Prasad Yadav)?"
They guffawed.
For the uninitiated, Laloo is a colorful Indian politician. He is hugely popular in Pakistan.
They wanted to visit India and asked me to suggest them three most important places to visit. They had already counted Agra in. I gave them some names. They seemed determined to visit India but were sceptical about the chance to get an Indian visa.
We parted out ways at the Karachi airport, with a firm handshake, and an invite to visit Karachi. That was lovely of them, those two warm-hearted young men of Pakistan.
I hope with the peace process marching in right direction, my Pakistani friends will be able to experience the magic of India soon.
I am glad that the relations between the two neighbours are improving. In fact, on my way to Muscat via Karachi, I was befriended by two Pakistani guys who expressed similar feelings. They were from Karachi and were returning home after making a business visit to Singapore, and seemed to have a great time. I briefly met them in the smoking room in Bangkok's transit lounge. Later, they boarded the same flight that I was on. They were so keen to know about India that it seemed impossible for me to answer all their questions. They were like firing bullets one after another. They had a quench for India and things Indian that was difficult to satisfy.
In the beginning of the journey, they were unable to believe that I was not from Pakistan. The reason was my Urdu. They thought the kind of Urdu I was speaking was no more taught or practised in India. They were sitting just in front of my seat and were arguing like this:
"Bhai Karachi ja rahe hain" (Brother is going to Karachi)
"Nahin, Bhai Muscat ja rahe hain" (No, brother is going to Muscat)
"Par Karachi to ruk kar jayenge, kyon Bhai?" (But will be stopping over at Karachi, won't you bro?), one of the guys asked me.
I told them that I was from India and I was going to Muscat. They were really surprised to know my Indian status. Then they started asking me questions. Sample these:
Are Indian people as beautiful as they show in Indian TV serials?
Are Muslims safe in India? Are there riots there everyday?
Can Muslims say their azaans on loud speakers? I heard that they cannot. It is not allowed.
Muslims are killed in Kashmir everyday. Is it true?
What do Indian Muslims think about Kashmir?
What do you think? Shouldn't the people of Kashmir be given a chance to decide the fate of their own land?
What do you think--who would the people of Kashmir turn to if they are given a choice to either join India or Pakistan?
Are there poor people in India? Is there anybody in India who goes to bed without bread? Like in our Pakistan, there aren't any such poor people. Even our beggars in Karachi have color TVs.
And so on...
I was really sad about this last question. I could not tell them that all was well with India. Of course, there are lacs of destitute people in our country who have neither homes nor adequate food.
When I got a chance, I also asked them about Pakistan's craze about Bollywood. They confirmed by saying that they didn't watch anything but Bollywood movies. Pakistani movies are pathetic, they said.
No wonder Amitabh Bachchan was suggesting to hold the next IIFA Awards in Pakistan.
While we were discussing movies, one of them suggested: "We can solve the Kashmir dispute easily. Give us Aishwarya Rai and take Kashmir."
I could not stop chukling at this. I countered: "Aishwarya is difficult to part with. What about Laloo (Prasad Yadav)?"
They guffawed.
For the uninitiated, Laloo is a colorful Indian politician. He is hugely popular in Pakistan.
They wanted to visit India and asked me to suggest them three most important places to visit. They had already counted Agra in. I gave them some names. They seemed determined to visit India but were sceptical about the chance to get an Indian visa.
We parted out ways at the Karachi airport, with a firm handshake, and an invite to visit Karachi. That was lovely of them, those two warm-hearted young men of Pakistan.
I hope with the peace process marching in right direction, my Pakistani friends will be able to experience the magic of India soon.
Monday, April 18, 2005
The commercial side of books
Books don't need to be literary to be succeessful. We all know this. We see this every day. Da Vinci Code is such a super seller for such a long time now.
I often wonder, then, what is important? How do you know if a book is a success? What matters most? The readers' response? Sales? Reviews? The other issue is that of getting famous beyond the borders of your country. Is it important? Should it be actively sought? Or is it an automatic byeproduct of globalization? Premchand is India's greatest short story writer but who has heard of him outside India? And why did Naipaul travel to UK to become a writer?
On the other hand, there is the reader--the innocent reader. Writers write books for them. Publishers publish books for them. What do they think? What matters to them?
I guess all this marketing hype around books is so confusing for a normal reader. Is s/he succumbing to it? Why is everyone reading Harry Potter? These are some of the questions that have engaged my mind quite often.
I came across this interesting point of view while reading one of the blogs. An interview was mentioned there. It was novelist Mathew Branton's interview. Enjoyed reading his comments in The Independent.
He says: "It's because of this dumbing down, and our collusion in it, our acceptance of it, thinking that watching soaps every day is somehow authentic, thinking that buying chick-lit and lad-lit and Harry bloody Potter is okay because it's a meaningless holiday read, whatever. These things aren't okay. We're not Cool Britannia. We're a global laughing stock, with our Spice Girls and our Cockney gangster movies, and our artists who shit the bed and get paid for it, and our boarding-school wizards. And nothing else!"
I often wonder, then, what is important? How do you know if a book is a success? What matters most? The readers' response? Sales? Reviews? The other issue is that of getting famous beyond the borders of your country. Is it important? Should it be actively sought? Or is it an automatic byeproduct of globalization? Premchand is India's greatest short story writer but who has heard of him outside India? And why did Naipaul travel to UK to become a writer?
On the other hand, there is the reader--the innocent reader. Writers write books for them. Publishers publish books for them. What do they think? What matters to them?
I guess all this marketing hype around books is so confusing for a normal reader. Is s/he succumbing to it? Why is everyone reading Harry Potter? These are some of the questions that have engaged my mind quite often.
I came across this interesting point of view while reading one of the blogs. An interview was mentioned there. It was novelist Mathew Branton's interview. Enjoyed reading his comments in The Independent.
He says: "It's because of this dumbing down, and our collusion in it, our acceptance of it, thinking that watching soaps every day is somehow authentic, thinking that buying chick-lit and lad-lit and Harry bloody Potter is okay because it's a meaningless holiday read, whatever. These things aren't okay. We're not Cool Britannia. We're a global laughing stock, with our Spice Girls and our Cockney gangster movies, and our artists who shit the bed and get paid for it, and our boarding-school wizards. And nothing else!"
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Muscat Musings
Friday I returned from Muscat, the capital of the Middle Eastern Sultanate of Oman. I went there last Sunday to present a paper on E-learning in an international IT Conference.
The sluggish Thai Airways took me to Muscat via Bangkok and Karachi. Almost took me 22 hours to reach Muscat. From Karachi to Muscat and on my way back, it seemed as if I were travelling on a Pakistani/Indian bus.
The conference was well-managed and all speakers were provided with efficient service. Everything was well taken care of. There were IT experts from all around the world.
Muscat is a small but beautiful city of white buildings and Islamic architecture, located in the valley of rocky hills, by the side of a natural harbour. The roads are perfect. The pace of life is easy and people are generally relaxed.
The city does not have highrises. There are hypermarkets all over the city. Carrefour and Lu Lu Plaze are the most famous.
I loved the grand mosque of Muscat. It is breathtakingly beautiful--it is the apple.com of postmodern Islamic architecture. The other places I loved are Qantab and the Qurm beach. You have to see it to believe it.
The conference was held in Al-Bustan Palace Hotel, a beautiful piece of work. It is one of the best hotels in the Middle East.
Two interesting nuggets about Oman: Did you know that Sindbad the Sailor was from Oman? Did you know that Oman ruled over Zanzibar?
The sluggish Thai Airways took me to Muscat via Bangkok and Karachi. Almost took me 22 hours to reach Muscat. From Karachi to Muscat and on my way back, it seemed as if I were travelling on a Pakistani/Indian bus.
The conference was well-managed and all speakers were provided with efficient service. Everything was well taken care of. There were IT experts from all around the world.
Muscat is a small but beautiful city of white buildings and Islamic architecture, located in the valley of rocky hills, by the side of a natural harbour. The roads are perfect. The pace of life is easy and people are generally relaxed.
The city does not have highrises. There are hypermarkets all over the city. Carrefour and Lu Lu Plaze are the most famous.
I loved the grand mosque of Muscat. It is breathtakingly beautiful--it is the apple.com of postmodern Islamic architecture. The other places I loved are Qantab and the Qurm beach. You have to see it to believe it.
The conference was held in Al-Bustan Palace Hotel, a beautiful piece of work. It is one of the best hotels in the Middle East.
Two interesting nuggets about Oman: Did you know that Sindbad the Sailor was from Oman? Did you know that Oman ruled over Zanzibar?
Black
Everybody has been talking about Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black. I am sceptical about hyped films but this particular film did not disappoint me. It is a good film, in the sense that it deviates from the formulae-ridden Bollywood masala films, and the film's look, feel and sensibility are also disctinctly non-Indian. It could have easily passed as a European film excpet for the Indian faces and the language. The setting is an Indian hill station where everything is so beautiful and picture perfect.
Some of my friends objected to the movie's picture perfect cinematography. I agree that good cinematography is not necessarily good cinema. However, Sanjay's choice of aesthetically appealing mis en scene might have been deliberate: it helps to highlight and balance the ugliness and the groestesqueness present in the lives of the protagonists. I guess this juxtaposition was necessary to make the film palatable. The theme is not syrupy, and hence the presentation demanded a soft touch.
The child artist, Sara Macnully, has done a good job. Sometimes, I thought, she has overacted. Rani Mukherjee has acted well. Amitabh Bachchan's performance is riveting in the first half. His Santa Clause-cum-Mirza Ghalib look in the second half looks ridiculous. Nevertheless, he has given one of his best performances in this film.
In all, Black is not the best film made in the last 50 years, as some have argued. The drawback of the film is its theatricality. In some of the scenes, it feels as though the action was happening on a stage. The film's language (cinematic language) is far from the Indian ethos--such as the ones we have seen in the films of Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, and Mehboob Khan.
Is it a brave film? Yes, it is. The acting talents of Amitabh and Rani have not been used like this before.
The film should definitely make other Bollywood directors sit and do a rethink. Some of them are already doing this.
Some of my friends objected to the movie's picture perfect cinematography. I agree that good cinematography is not necessarily good cinema. However, Sanjay's choice of aesthetically appealing mis en scene might have been deliberate: it helps to highlight and balance the ugliness and the groestesqueness present in the lives of the protagonists. I guess this juxtaposition was necessary to make the film palatable. The theme is not syrupy, and hence the presentation demanded a soft touch.
The child artist, Sara Macnully, has done a good job. Sometimes, I thought, she has overacted. Rani Mukherjee has acted well. Amitabh Bachchan's performance is riveting in the first half. His Santa Clause-cum-Mirza Ghalib look in the second half looks ridiculous. Nevertheless, he has given one of his best performances in this film.
In all, Black is not the best film made in the last 50 years, as some have argued. The drawback of the film is its theatricality. In some of the scenes, it feels as though the action was happening on a stage. The film's language (cinematic language) is far from the Indian ethos--such as the ones we have seen in the films of Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, and Mehboob Khan.
Is it a brave film? Yes, it is. The acting talents of Amitabh and Rani have not been used like this before.
The film should definitely make other Bollywood directors sit and do a rethink. Some of them are already doing this.
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Tejpal's Tehelka
Mr. Tarun Tejpal, the famous editor of Tehelka weekly, recently hogged the limelight for an altogether different reason.
The journalist, who shook the Indian political and military establishment a few years ago with an expose, coolly penned his novel, The Alchemy of Desire, while fighting the establishment's crackdown.
According to media reports, the novel sold out on the day it was released. No wonder as Tarun writes very well and his reputation is unsullied. Critics are already appreciating "the voice" he has used in the narrative.
Tarun's mentor, Sir V S Naipaul, has liked the first part of the book. That is, I guess, good enough a recommendation for Tarun.
I think every English-educated Indian, whether he did or did not study at Oxbridge, is writing a novel or two these days, apart from doing his day job as a diplomat or a journalist.
Arundhati Ray's success has had huge impact on the Indians of all ages. Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi was 17 when he witnessed the phenomenal success of Roy. He was inspired. The result is his debut novel, The Last Song of Dusk. Only God knows, out of 1 billion Indians, how many more she has infected with the virus of seeking publishing success.
To make things clear, let me admit, I was not inspired by Roy. I had decided to become a writer in the pre-Roy India, if may say so. At that time, the only Indian writers I knew were Narayan, Rao, Sehgal, Naipaul, Rushdie and others.
At the rate the Indians are writing novels, the day is not far when it will be de rigueur for every educated Indian to have penned a novel--sort of a rite of passage of being an educated Indian.
Remember the line, "Scratch an Indian and you will find a novelist." (It is like the line from Dr. Zhivago: "Scratch a Russian and you will find a farmer.")
Do you know who said it?
None other than our honourable Tarun Tejpal.
Did I hear you say, look, who's talking?
The journalist, who shook the Indian political and military establishment a few years ago with an expose, coolly penned his novel, The Alchemy of Desire, while fighting the establishment's crackdown.
According to media reports, the novel sold out on the day it was released. No wonder as Tarun writes very well and his reputation is unsullied. Critics are already appreciating "the voice" he has used in the narrative.
Tarun's mentor, Sir V S Naipaul, has liked the first part of the book. That is, I guess, good enough a recommendation for Tarun.
I think every English-educated Indian, whether he did or did not study at Oxbridge, is writing a novel or two these days, apart from doing his day job as a diplomat or a journalist.
Arundhati Ray's success has had huge impact on the Indians of all ages. Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi was 17 when he witnessed the phenomenal success of Roy. He was inspired. The result is his debut novel, The Last Song of Dusk. Only God knows, out of 1 billion Indians, how many more she has infected with the virus of seeking publishing success.
To make things clear, let me admit, I was not inspired by Roy. I had decided to become a writer in the pre-Roy India, if may say so. At that time, the only Indian writers I knew were Narayan, Rao, Sehgal, Naipaul, Rushdie and others.
At the rate the Indians are writing novels, the day is not far when it will be de rigueur for every educated Indian to have penned a novel--sort of a rite of passage of being an educated Indian.
Remember the line, "Scratch an Indian and you will find a novelist." (It is like the line from Dr. Zhivago: "Scratch a Russian and you will find a farmer.")
Do you know who said it?
None other than our honourable Tarun Tejpal.
Did I hear you say, look, who's talking?
Friday, March 18, 2005
Celebrating literature at the ‘fragrant harbour’
Read the snippets (all of them) from the Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival 2005 here:
http://www.crimsonfeet.org/article348.html
Enjoy!
http://www.crimsonfeet.org/article348.html
Enjoy!
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