Blink issue 55 february14 2015

THE OVAL OF ATTENTION As the World Cup returns to Australia, will fans get to see the combative cricket that they are rooting for? p2 saturday, february 14, 2015

shutterstock/kauriana

First comes love. Then comes litigation.

Divorce lawyers from across the country share tales of acrimony and appeasement this Valentine’s Day p8

When love ends

THE ULTIMATE ROAST A sorry saga that combines teenage pregnancy with the Uttarakhand floods p16

NOT SO DEADLY Snakes don’t see you as food, and are unlikely to waste their venom on you p22

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Size matters (left) A saw-scaled viper lies in wait for a prey divyaraj shah; and (below) a cottonmouth, usually found in or near waterbodies rachel moon

Trophy shot Young fans in Mumbai pose for a selfie with the ICC World Cup 2015 pti CREATURE FEATURE

their range, cottonmouths aren’t too picky about what they eat. I’ve even seen a cottonmouth scavenging on decomposed animal matter, which is unusual for a snake. But there are islands off the coast of Florida with thriving populations of cottonmouths that have a peculiar fondness for fish that fall from trees.

Given their unfussy appetite for almost any type of prey, I would have imagined that, finding themselves in the vicinity of bird nests, cottonmouths would show no hesitation in feeding upon birds’ eggs and small chicks. In most habitats, the cottonmouths would ining biology exactly to the prey available to it. deed gobble down this easy prey. But on the isThough vipers, including several speofand Seahorse Key,long cottonmouths and icapped bymost its low popularity in many parts of land match, fade away before the coin is cies saw-scaled vipers, feedAmerica primarily onmost ver- nesting water-birds seem to have reached an the of world, notably Europe, and tossed for the quarter-finals.

In a glorious extebrates, as lizards, frogs, birds andafter mice,a accord the cottonmouths ignore the birds’ of Asia. Insuch football, the best of 32 teams, ception,— Kenya made it to the semi-finals of other species of saw-scaled vipers haveitshifted and edition, chicks, and feed almost exgruelling qualification system, fight out on eggs the 2003 but instead could not capitalise on to dietstage that for contains lots of invertebrate ar- clusively on dead regurgitated fish that fall thea big the FIFA World Cup. Most oththe feat, failing toor qualify this time. thropods — insects, spiders, scorpions and to Former the ground the adult birds feed Smith their er sports also have tough qualifying rounds SouthasAfrica captain Graeme their ilk. Of course, mice and scorpions arelike ve- young.

To facilitate their search forsmaller this pecubetween several contenders, with some, says, “With no disrespect to the nary different beasts,the buthost I would have imagined food cottonhockey, allowing an assured spot in liar tions, thesource, ICC is these tryingisland-dwelling to grow the game, exthat viper venom would be a one-size-fits-all mouths have developed a sense smell the line-up. pose them to top teams in eventsoflike this,that but poison, potent to to kill anything.

But particularly to detect and track Cricket, sadly,enough has failed grow globally.

In is it creates a verytuned long tournament that has the too like many of our instincts andhas much our sources of the distinct deadyou fish.want But its 138-year existence, the game notof added many soft games.

In aodours WorldofCup, common wisdom snakes, this single-minded to tracking a decent Test team about to the venomous origithere todedication be tension throughout. my imagination was England, off the down deadthat fish stands smells may nal club of Australia, One team out ishave Iremark. fact, the venom of each gotten a bit out of hand — cottonSouth In Africa, West Indies, New land. They’re getting exposed to a species saw-scaled is mouths on Seahorse Key have Zealand,of India, Pakistanviper and, lathigh standard of domestic-level carefully calibrated to the been observed large er, Sri Lanka.

The last twocomencricket, which iningesting turn is improvWorldare Cup 2015 has There islands off position its prey — species volumes of algae that smell a bit trants, of Zimbabwe and ing their international game.

Ev14 fray, theteams coastin ofthe Florida that eat mostly arthropods havea where eating clumps ofthey’ve mud Bangladesh, have pulled off ery ICC tournament, with only a handful of fishy, cottonmouths venom that is far deadlier to arsoaked vomit of a brown few stunning wins, but rely on given usina the shock.” them skilled enough have a peculiar thropods thanpools. the venom spe- fondness pelican, and attempting to swalpoor talent The oflatter, Sadly, the rest of the minnows to take a realistic shot for fish that cies eat mostly low stick covered in wawiththat fantastic massvertebrates. support for havea large remained minnows, the the title fallatfrom trees This precise match between ter-bird excrement. the game at home, has two great predictable nature of their prey type andwins the venom’s deadThe cottonmouths in the World Cup over Pakistan matches taking way from the liness hasIndia been maintained patch in Florida (1999) and (2007), but little charmofofforest an event of thiswhere magni-I across least of. three shifts in diet work likely notthe eating else toatboast It continues to tude. are No wonder, next any ediin saw-scaled vipers,Zimbabwe, which makes perfect fish find bethe a work-in-progress. on the oth- dead tion of theand, Cuptherefore, in 2019 willprobably only havedon’t 10 teams, sense if we remind ourselves that making ven- the of dead fish too compelling.

This er hand, suffers from administrative challengwithsmell the eight top-ranked ODI teams (as on 30 om is energy-wise costly.survived, Any snake would a wrench what I initially es, and has just about thanks to throws September, 2017) into gaining direct entrythought and the therefore fromfrom needing inject as lit- would be a foolproof cottonmouth-avoidance financial benefit assistance the to International remaining spots going to the finalists of the tle venom as possible of leaving decoy fishto tobe attract Cricket Council (ICC). every time it tries to kill plan qualifying tournament heldthe in cottonBanglasomething.

A scorpion-eating away from where I work. NevertheWorld Cup 2015 has 14 teamssaw-scaled in the fray,viper with mouths desh in 2018. could goal enough — a deadtoscorsince cottonmouth’s expansive diet only aachieve handfulits of desired them skilled take less, Over thethe years, the schedule too has become pion — with only a small venom include a human-sized have a realistic shot at the title.quantity Australiaofhas been can’t incredibly demanding.

This organism, year is no Idifferthat is maximally potent scorpions. worry All I need do isThe stay1992 out the best World Cup teamtowards with wins in 1987, little ent —towith 49about. matches in 44todays.

I’ll try2003 to remind myself of their venom’s preci- of thein way when the cottonmouths ourwith for1999, and 2007.

India and the West Indies Cup, comparison, was over in 34in days sion if Iwith am ever careless orand unlucky as toand get est patch are making a beeline for whatever it follow twosotitles each, Pakistan 36 league matches and three knockouts.

It did, bitten by one andeach. injected withhas thelost venom of fia is they have decided eat, hot on nations the trail vyof Sri Lanka England in three however, have eighttoTest-playing saw-scaled scent theycompared have decided to follow. nals — 1979,viper.

1987 and 1992. The minnows like whatever ing for the crown, to, say, the 1975 Afghanistan, Canada, Kenya, Scotland, Ireland, edition, which had eight teams, including two ottonmouths are and found the southkamath studies organismic evolutionaryin United Arab Emirates Theacross Netherlands, es- ambika non-Test-playing squads.

The and champion eastern United States, and in of biology at Harvard University sentially make up the numbers, winmost an odd 1975 was decided after 15 matches alone — 12

Fang in there New Cup, old spin

The Indian saw-scaled viper and the cottonmouth in south-eastern are unlikely to waste on you positive and entertaining cricket.

The World CupUSreturns to Australia, thetheir landvenom of aggressive, But will it please the cricket fans rooting for close, combative contests?

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nlike many people who study reptiles, I didn’t grow up catching he much-touted ICC Cricket World snakes for fun.

I’mThat still aoverflowing little nervCup is finally here. ous, therefore, encountering Cup of dreams,about opportunities, exvenomouscitement snakes. In theintrigue last fewdesigned years, two and to snakes in particular have loomed oversponmy draw millions of eyeballs — not to forget time India,and it’s stadiums the saw-scaled visors —outdoors. to the TV In screens once evper, a snake widespread in dry, action rocky ery four years.that’s The fans await explosive habitats butand active at andin after sunset. In by the best theonly brightest international the US, and it’s also a viper,arethe cottonmouth, cricket, the players primed to showwhich is active the will day World but usually recase their finestduring game. But Cup 2015 mains water.and expectations? live upin toor allnear the hype Being by either ofthe these snakes would Whenbitten Australia hosted Cup for the first be farinfrom as one ofstood the four time 1992,pleasant, it createdand a format that out, most widespread venomous snakes India, for it tested the potential of the best in teams in the posed the saw-scaled the danger business.

Eachbyteam played theviper othercan’t and be But to prevent thought of thedismissed. best four competed in thethe semi-finals.

It being bitten by the snakesby from spiralling into was a format appreciated all nine teams, inincapacitating nervousness, I remind myself cluding Zimbabwe, which was on the verge of that these snakes can’t eat that me and, being granted Test status year.therefore, It helped have little interest in wasting their venom on the young team assess its calibre against crickme. fact, each of these animals has, over evoet’s In elite. lutionary time, finely tuned feedIn terms of the quality ofaspects cricketofit its was, arguably, the best World Cup — barring a ridiculous rain rule that presented South Africa with the impossible task of making 21 runs off one ball to win against England in a semi-final at Sydney. Not everyone was complaining, however. Thanks to the rain, Pakistan was spared early embarrassment after being bowled out for 74. The match was abandoned, and Pakistan, gaining a point from the washout, went on to lift the Cup eventually.

The best advertisement for the 50-over game now returns to Australia, the land of aggressive, positive and entertaining cricket. But would it satiate the appetite of the cricket fanatics, rooting for close, combative contests on seemingly ideal pitches?

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On the back foot In terms of participation, cricket is hand-

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Operatic colour Captains pose for a photograph at the Sydney harbour ahead of the 1992 World Cup, which brought with it white balls and coloured clothing vv

krishnan

Pakistan clash is slated for the second day of the tournament!

It took a while before commercial interests gripped the ICC and eventually changed the Money spinners In a cricket-crazy nation like India, the orga- face of the World Cup. The playing conditions nisers cut a sorry figure in 2011 when teams and format were tweaked repeatedly to attract more fans, and it morphed from were greeted by empty stands, a 60-over game in the first three except when host India was playeditions in England to a 50-over ing. The trend is unlikely to change in Australia and New one in 1987, and introduced This is a young India white balls and coloured clothZealand, where fans prefer to riding on the strength save their free time and money ing in 1992. The event has also alof Dhoni’s confidence lowed Australia and New for meaningful matches featurand Virat Kohli’s ing home teams.

Zealand to promote tourism, a brilliance first for cricket. The co-hosts Unsurprisingly, the economics have also tied up with the local of this showpiece cricket event is at the heart of the tournament’s police to deal with any corrupstructure. India and Pakistan tion at matches. find a place in the same group, ensuring a The introduction of drop-in pitches for the massive viewership across the world. It’s no se- knockout stage is to ensure the contests are cret that the two neighbours attach more im- not affected by the nature of the playing surportance to a win against each other than the faces in Australia and New Zealand. Also, the Cup even. Pakistan, however, is yet to beat In- use of two new balls from either end should dia in a World Cup meeting. In the 2007 edi- challenge the batsmen in a game that has seen tion, when the two nations were placed in bowlers suffer due to lopsided rules. different groups and eliminated before the Seen as the biggest commercial vehicle for knockout stage, the tournament suffered the world body, every effort is made to reach huge losses, with most knockout matches re- out to Indian sponsors and fans. Cricket, it is cording poor attendance. This time, the India- universally acknowledged, is sustained largely by funds that India contributes. On the field though, Indians are battling form and injuries. Nothing but the Cup would keep their fans happy, but the team is yet to find the winning combination in Australia. The Tests and the One-day tri-series have been disappointing too, as India goes into its first World Cup without its best-known legends Sachin Tendulkar (1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011) or Sunil Gavaskar (1975, 1979, 1983 and 1987).

This is a young India riding on the strength of Dhoni’s confidence and Virat Kohli’s brilliance. The absence of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh from the winning combination of 2011 has placed added responsibility on performers like Kohli, Suresh Raina and R Ashwin, who tasted some success in the last edition of the Cup. India, regardless of its recent show, remains a favourite along with the rest — because, in cricket, every Test-playing nation is a favourite at the World Cup. league matches on three playing days, followed by the knockout stage.

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First encounters Afghanistan will be playing its first World Cup this year ap/rahmat gul

National interest Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott (third from left) at a World Cup promotion ceremony last year afp/saeed khan

Next over This edition of the World Cup, with its emphasis on young combinations, will have 14 teams divided into two groups with the top four from each progressing to the knockout stage.

This effectively means the Cup will only gain momentum from the quarter-finals, given the results at the league stage can be quite predictable. India, Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies should qualify from one group, and Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and England from the other.

Every team is projected as a potential champion. Every match, if you go by the ‘experts’ on television, is “crucial, important, great”. Most of these experts are perhaps busy doing their homework on the minnows of the tournament, especially the little-known squads of UAE and Afghanistan. As far as the players are concerned, the strategy is no different from a marathon — save your breath for the last leg, play three good knockout matches and lift the Cup. As they say, it’s same same, but different. vijay lokapally is deputy editor, Sports, The Hindu

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Cuban colours Last December, the streets of Havana woke up to the news of resumed diplomatic relations with the US for the first time since 1961 ap/ramon espinosa; (below) a woman sells Cuba’s best-known exports bloomberg/lisette poole

V for victory Arvind Kejriwal and AAP follow a bottom-up capitalism shanker chakravarty

AGENDA

The business of politics People’s island

The victory of AAP in Delhi should be reason for cheer for the Sensex and investors

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n Valentine’s Day, Delhi has official-

sambuddha mitra mustafi

This sudden crowd of political brands re-

lem with industry. There are several reasons,

The idealy rekindled of ‘public space’ is old firmly enshrined Cuba,governments, the tiny Communist in the its affair with that sulted in an era ofin coalition led by Kejriwal’scorner crusade against Mukesh Amflame Arvind Kejriwal. India’s which also injected competition, but at times bani and what he alleges are corrupt power spectacular Caribbean that awaits a wave of change after 50 years stock markets are spooked, seeing became obstructive. In 2015, India’s political companies in Delhi. His love for subsidies and it as a thumbs-down for Narendra Modi’s market-friendly reforms. The Sensex lost over he streets are full28, of before vintagerecoverAmeri1,000 points since January canBut cars, some Russian ing slightly. if you arerunning a seriouson long-term engines, everywhere you investor inLada India or evenand a free-market fundacolonial mentalist,look thereare is grand great reason to buildings. cheer the The of Havana a repository Aamcity Aadmi Party’sisdramatic win.of Cuban history, bookmarked byKejriwal buildings the PlaThe ‘Modi for PM, forsuch CM’as verdict is za Plaza de la Revolución, Museo de notdeaArmas, split personality disorder that should la Revolución and the El Capitolio. jeopardise India’s reforms.

In fact,Havana Delhi Viehas ja, or Old is a Unesco Heritage voted for Havana, competition in the World free market of Site, thanks tohas its architectural grandeur politics.

Delhi made space for another and sellits many historical and cultural markers.

The er to display his governance model, neutraliscity’s most vibrant street, Obispo, isoffilled with ing the potential inefficiencies a Modi dozens of bars and restaurants, shopping cenmonopoly.

Now there will be more pressure tres, excellent nightlife livetomuon Modi to deliver.

Thereand willamazing be pressure resic.

One of the streetshed has buildings the in in theend Sangh Parivar, the vanityinsuits Cuban while at the other and getbaroque down tostyle, the job of improving theend life of Indians.

What’s striking is that most people — from the cab driver to the newspaper columnist who quotes the cab driver — have bought into the idea of policy competition over loyalty to any party or leader. This can only be a healthy sign for the expansion of market philosophy in India.

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Evolution of the political market From independence to 1991, a socialist India voted on ideology and in gratitude. The Congress and the Gandhi family reaped the rewards, creating a monopoly of sorts, which was only briefly broken in the mid-’70s. Only from the mid-’90s onwards did Indians begin to understand the benefits of competition in all markets. Just like we suddenly began consuming hundreds of cable channels and scores of cola options, we began consuming different brands of politics, built mostly around identities like caste and religion.

market has evolved from identity and ideolo- the socialist background of some of his comgy to governance issues like corruption and rades might put off investors. eclectic Art Nouveau dominates.

Here, you areas Manhattan), it is, like the rest of Cuba, the economy.

There is also a pushback against Butin look at the flip side: AAP’s manifesto also gentrification.

The people in find the world-famous El Floridita café and Ho- free unwieldy coalition governments. talksfrom about ridding “the high cost ofliving complitelBoth Ambos Mundos, both legendary Ernest He- Malecón’s grand colonial someand of Modi and Kejriwal saw this new politiance, licence-raj, lack of buildings, transparency” area worse the wear now, are mingway hangouts, as well asonthe cal opportunity and capitalised thefinest Con- which creating stable, for simple tax regime.

Allordithis daiquiri and mojito on earth. withwith rights over these spaces. gress’ decay to capture large swathes of the nary can gocitizens down well industry.

Also consider For more mojito andused Bucanero, one ofeffecthe One evening, as Ibut sipped mojitosignificant at Café Nerupolitical market.

They the media Kejriwal’s crude politically reffinest Cuban Malecónto is the the people. place toThe be. da, I watched wonderstruck as the busy street tively to take beers, their product erence to being a bania who understands busiThis well-maintained promenade the was takensocialist over bywould the neighbourwily Delhi voter realised that both skirts Modi and ness suddenly — a traditional never use teenagers football sea.

As the hot day cools locals needs, come out Kejriwal can satisfy their off, different na- hood that line.

Delhi’s for small tradersand seemalltoother have here fish local. or stroll with favourite drink ofinsports andwith the the vehicular traffic was tionaltoand Like anytheir smart investor, the kinds thrown their lot AAP, if you look at in hand.

Lovers are aplenty, withfor the sun closed off.latter swept up seats like Karol Bagh Delhi voter did not become what a sellout Modi, how the Another day, I woke up in the morning to setting majestically into with the Caribbean sea but hedged his/her bets a and Chandni Chowk. overlooking the El Morro fort. What’s unique discover that theInstreet ourvision B&B was “low-risk, localised investment in termsinofwhich a grand for about Malecón isasthat unlike similar by the elderly locals for an opposition,” sociologist Di- prime ur- located was used economic growth, AAP has one ban locations other parts of the world (say, morning exercises, with a couple blocks pankar Gupta in says. basic difference withofthe BJP: the Marine Drive in Mumbai or the Upper East ofclosed to vehicles. ideaisofbottom-up “public space”, AAP’sThe model capiIn terms a grand fast dying elsewhere the world, Competing models talism, inthat relies seems heavilyfirmon vision for economic ly has enshrined this tiny Communist nation.

Arvind Kejriwal now has five “unleashing India’s entrepregrowth, AAP one in There is great pride energy” among the in years to prove the effectiveness of neurial byCubans helping basic difference with their revolution and the“honest socialist regime it his governance model in Delhi. If small and businesses”; the BJP ushered in. They do acknowledge chalhe succeeds, and if Modi does not whereas Modi’s modelthe is more lenges facing them too, but continue to maindeliver robust economic growth top-down, reliant on large intain a spiritvestments of equality, and by 2019, then there is a possibility and solidarity, mega-projects freedom. Luisthat Miguel, thejobs. owner of our B&B, that the anti-Modi vote may concreate 1932, financial expressedplayers it best in — “Fidel is our legsolidate around Kejriwal, nationally. So at this Casa Serious India should be Cuba is a small country restage, investors should not worry about Kejri- end. delighted that we now have with four very yearslittle of two but wecompeting survived with under wal spoiling their India party, but they should sources, different models eachFidel’s other We one mayworks need better. to change, the ask if he has a grand economic vision and how leadership. to prove which Bothbut leaders idea the Revolution is sacred.”by the electodifferent is it from Modi’s. haveof been given full mandates When I asked the poverty in the counThe Aam Aadmi Party’s manifesto claims its rate, so they are about unfettered from coalitions.

In heIndia said — “Ofhave course is some poverty. ideology is “neither Left nor Right and will try, 2019, may thethere chance to choose diwebetween have a lot equality our society.

Evsupport every good idea, old or new, if it is in But rectly theoftwo.

This isinthe kind of comnot be eatingsellers a lobster every meal, the interest of India”. By virtue of not calling eryone petitivemay bidding among in the political no one here goes hungry.

And there are apno itself Left or even socialist, the AAP actually po- but market that Adam Smith would have sitions itself to the right of the Congress and homeless proved of.people.”

Aracelly, a retired schoolteacher and the the Mandal parties. sambuddha mitra is the founder of our B&B mustafi in the coastal city ofof TriniBut compared to Modi’s famous “business- owner The Political Indian t some_buddha echoed a similar sentiment — “Cuban friendliness”, AAP does have an image prob- dad,

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Twelve years apart Former US President George Bush struts in a flight-suit across the deck of a US aircraft carrier afp/hector mata; (below) a Jordanian student holds a placard of pilot Muazz al-Kassasbeh in front of a poster showing King Abdullah II afp/khalil mazraawi

STATES THAT MATTER

emerge as the army led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi — alumnus of the US torture and detention centre at Camp Bucca in Iraq — notched up one improbable victory after another.

British journalist Patrick Cockburn has, in a recent book, argued that “key decisions that enabled al-Qaeda to survive and later to expand, were made in the hours immediately after 9/11”. Every trail the hijackers left that day led to Saudi Arabia. The official inquiry indeed found that al-Qaeda was financed primarily by the Gulf countries and “particularly” Saudi Arabia. Far from demanding an explanation, Bush facilitated “an exit of senior Saudis, including bin Laden relatives” from US territory, when air traffic was otherwise paralysed.

“Most significant,” says Cockburn, “twentyeight pages of the 9/11 Commission Report about the relationship between the attackers and Saudi Arabia were cut and never published”.

“If you break it, you own it.” Just days before Bush launched his invasion of Iraq, Colin Powell, then US Secretary of State, warned him about the law of unintended consequences.

The chaotic aftermath of Bush’s war has no owners, only perhaps a surfeit of witch remedies that promise to worsen the disease.

The invasion led to an enormous accretion to the strategic influence of Iran, till then kept in check by Iraq’s Ba’ath regime. In the ensuing chaos, sectarian identities hardened and Sunni Muslim tribes mobilised to wage fullscale war against Shi’a dominance. As Syria erupted in civil war in 2011, US allies and proxies, notably Jordan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, stepped in, competing zealously to bring down the Bashar al-Assad regime.

IS was nurtured within this rapidly expanding arena of political meltdown by generous others,” said Bush: “It will end in a way, and at a infusions from the Gulf potentates. With time, of our choosing.” promises of heightened US aid, Jordan has As the GWOT metastasised now joined the fight against from the pursuit of terrorist forces it has been partially remastermind Osama bin Laden, sponsible for creating. Jordan is to Iraq’s phantom weapons of now assured of aid totalling $1 With promises of mass destruction, to something billion, or $150 per capita. Of this, heightened US aid, akin to a video game played on some two-thirds could be viewed Jordan has now remote consoles, forces on the as reward for being an Arab state joined the fight ground mutated. What was formally at peace with Israel, and against forces it has imagined to be a small band of the rest as incentive for taking on been partially terrorists under al-Qaeda franthe IS. responsible chise became an army with a For its part, Israel continues to for creating spectrum of skills to handle batbenefit from US aid that could tlefield and guerrilla engagerange from $3.5-6 billion a year, ments. The US was being pulled or over $550 per capita — at the into a war without end. lower end — for each of its Jewish Early suspicions about the IS being sus- citizens. Despite its peace with Jordan, Israel tained by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Emir- fights on the other side of the emerging reates were met with elaborately simulated gional conflagration. On January 19, Israel outrage. The connections, though, began to bombed frontline positions in Syria, killing an Iranian general and top personnel of the Lebanese Shi’a political party Hezbollah, then engaged in logistical support for al-Assad’s besieged army in its battle against the IS. As enemy of an enemy, the IS is Israel’s friend — a friendship that dare not speak its name. The al-Assad dynasty, despite all past favours rendered, is an obstacle Israel needs to clear. While seeding chaos across the region, Israel is in retreat behind a security fence against acts of resistance from a people held in captivity for generations. Its Saudi allies have just contracted with the French company EADS — builder of Airbus planes — to fence off the border with Iraq. In the centenary years of World War I, the Arab state system, a legacy of that act of imperial perfidy called the SykesPicot agreement, is in danger of unravelling.

Those authoring the chaos either sit at a safe distance or seek protection behind walls.

Two flight-suit moments

Much has changed from George W Bush’s ‘mission accomplished’ moment to King Abdullah’s vow of vengeance — but not for the better sukumar muralidharan

J

ordan’s King Abdullah was in the US bargaining for aid when he heard about the grisly death of combat pilot Muazz al-Kassasbeh. Negotiations for the Jordanian pilot’s release had been underway since his capture by the Islamic State (IS) while flying a sortie over Syria on December 24. A hostage swap seemed feasible till the video of al-Kassasbeh’s immolation came to light.

Abdullah reached into a familiar repertoire of Wild West movies for a response. Clint Eastwood seemed just right, with his 1992 film Unforgiven, set in a time when frontier justice prevailed. Within hours, Jordan executed two terrorism convicts, one of them an Iraqi woman, allegedly a failed suicide bomber from a series of attacks in the Jordanian capital in 2005.

Abdullah arrived back in his country soon after, heralded by an increased aid pledge from the US. As Jordan’s air force geared up for a series of bombing raids on IS operational bases, Abdullah had himself portrayed in the media in combat flight-suit, signalling he was personally in charge.

Abdullah’s display of military machismo stirred mixed memories. Early in his two-term presidential tenure, as he launched the “global war on terror” (GWOT), George Bush was prone to invoking the vocabulary and spirit of the gunslinger from the Wild West. He had a brief moment of triumph, which he has since been desperate to live down: a bravura strut in a flight-suit across the deck of a US aircraft carrier, the backdrop emblazoned with a ‘Mission Accomplished’ banner.

Twelve years on, it needs to be asked: what precisely has been accomplished between the two flight-suit moments? It all began at a memorial service for the victims of 9/11, an occasion for Bush to claim the legitimacy denied by a deeply contentious election outcome. The event, held at the National Cathedral in Washington DC, saw the closest thing in recent times to a proclamation of holy war. “This conflict was begun on the timing and terms of

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sukumar muralidharan is a fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla

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Even when speaking casually, Shukla’s words retain their characteristic resonance that we know from the pages of his half-a-dozBAWDY LINE en poetry collections, with almost a decadelong gap between each of them. Considered among the last of the greats in modern Hindi poetry, Shukla is a novelist and short story writer of equal distinction. And being a poetnovelist is another feat that has few parallels in literature. (Boris Pasternak, a poet who wrote one great novel, comes to mind; as does DH Lawrence, a novelist who wrote more than a few great poems.)

“When I am not able to write poetry for a long time, I start writing prose,” Shukla said.

“And then, in the of and writing I hapuranas.

Miracles aremiddle the warp woofprose, of startofdiscovering poems.

Writing prose is a the lives Hindu Gods, an absolute banality formscriptures. of excavation, becausesaints poetry is found in Hindu As regards living in in the depths thought,” said. may be the clear light ofofhistory, the he following His first novel, Ki Kameez cited: Dnyaneshwar andNaukar the flying wall, the(The di- SerShirt, 1979), was adapted for theMascreen vine vant’s assignments of the infant Chaitanya by filmmaker Mani Kaul, 20Sai years after publihaprabhu, Akkalkot Maharaj, Baba, etc. cation.etItal was last don’t year that Dabholkar (inonly the bill) raisehis the1996 epis-novel Khilega question Toh Dekhenge It business Flowers) was temological or get(Once into the made available in English.

Mostmake recently, of adjudicating miracles.

That would it a couple of poems Shukla (inone Mehrotra’s deeply problematic.

Theby only way that can haveempirical been published judgetranslation) between two claimsinisthe

by British magazine Granta.

It may be to that this late weighing the evidence.

The degree which exposure the Anglophone world has earned we believe onetoclaim over another is proporShukla’s writings dubious tag of ‘magic-retional to the degree bythe which the evidence for alism’. His the Wikipedia page the website one outweighs evidence for and the other.

The of his ofEnglish publisher, HarperCollins, weight evidence is a function of such fac-both make ludicrous claimand thatnumber his workof“bortors as the the reliability, manner, ders onThe magic-realism”. witnesses.

Salem witchcraft trial, for inIt Flowers is a strange and wonderfully stance,Once had much stronger evidence favouring accomplished masterpiece in What which,Dabaccordit than the resurrection of Christ.

Leading the flock A procession of Varkaris on their way to the Vithoba temple in Pandharpur ing to translator, Satti “the holkar’s lawthe seemingly does in Khanna, the matter is reader to n the kerb of the Omkareshwar 2) Claiming to make miracles and defraud- render can’t the ‘real’... from the ‘dream’” But, in all tell miracles performed prior to August Imaginations run wild Vinod Shuklaing writes of the real and the metaphysical with bridge near Shanivar Peth,Kumar Pune, or terrorising people. stark(the contrast magic-realist convention, 26, 2013, day thetoordinance was signed), literature festival equal ease August 20,jaipur 2013, 7.30am.

Bent over 3) Carrying out or encouraging acts that en- exempt there’s unreal, indeed magical, fromnothing arraignment.

Theorlaw effectively slightly, prostrate in all his vulgari- danger life or cause grievous injury in order to aversabout theage dreamlike aspects of the novel — that the of miracles is firmly in our ty, quiet, like a sleeping beggar, not like some- gain supernatural blessing. dreams of conjuring. the insecurities past.these We are now inare theborn age of The of one who had floundered and flailed before his 4) Carrying out or encouraging inhuman propagation characters with theirpooja difficult realities. of stuck Satyanarayan’s is therelast guttering splutters, ruched red blood acts or human sacrifice in quest of some boun- fore not For ainstance, we hearRam in this novel about a criminal offence.

Rahim Insan’s spreading under him: the only mentionable ty or reward. replicacapers of a gun may or may not (Derawooden Sacha Sauda) arethat punishable. alumnus of my alma mater, Government Med5) Creating the impression that a person has be firing bulletsthat eachI first timelearnt its owner, It was from real Dabholkar of a ical College, Miraj (Sangli district, Maharash- supernatural powers and compelling people the whole watchman, shouts outthat ‘bang!’; the watchman passage (the one has been comtra), shot once in the head, twice in the chest, to follow his/her orders. gets so terrified that he has toform burn—the weappletely perverted by its truncated - the both obviously his peccant parts. Punished 6) Claiming to invoke ghosts, creating the opium on.ofInthe Shukla’s work, the dream the reality. masses) from Marx thatisappears publicly for teaching children the seaminess impression of possession, preventing the per- in his Contribution Entrants to to Hindi literature quicklyPhirealise the Critique of Hegel’s of miracles. For telling the great unwashed son from seeking medical treatment, and losophy thatofthe poets“Religious and criticsdistress in this domain Right: is at the— unand unlettered lower orders of Maharashtra, compelling him/her to inhuman acts. their writing samelike time the empiricist expressioncounterparts of real distress and in in their own language, with much levity and For something that was alEnglish — aren’t using real abstractions also the scared protestofagainst dismirth, about Occam’s razor and David Hume ways billed as the anti-superstifor poetic effect.

They is letthe imaginations tress.

Religion sigh of the run and Article 51A (h) of the Indian Constitution. tion bill, the Act has no mention wild, sometimes aiming to disorient theofreadoppressed creature, the heart And telling the varkaris of Pandharpur, the de- of the word superstition. The er.

This quality is more pronounced in a heartless world, just as it is theShukThe Act has no votees of Vithoba, that empirical claims must Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and la’s work thanof perhaps else’s.It The spirit spiritlessanyone conditions. mention of the word often discover poetsBut writing enriching Nabo- poet’s imagination be substantiated by eempirical evidence. the more Sanatan Sanstha experience. continue Vladimir absorbs the real (the hills is the opium of the people. superstition wasn’t beingabout entirely in languagesinunfamiliar most of all, for the authorship, 2003, of ato us, theirkov spells of ranting howfacetious when he and trees and birds of Chhattisgarh, where “To abolish religion as the illustated if you can’t read through the medium of a lanproposed law on superstition. the bill wasthat practically rigged to Gogol in Russian, Shukla lives) with as much ease as it does sory happiness of the people is to the guage unfamiliar them. shouldn’t botherDabholreading him at all. While metaphysical Narendra Dabholkar’s children, Muktatoand trap you the Hindu religion. (thetheir sun descending with the demand real happiness.

I wouldn’t to borrow this Nabokovian hy- west) orThe Theafter reader, no matter deeply Hamid, lighting their how father’s pyreconnected in a kar and Shyam like Manav, the chief even the astronomical (Shukla has demand to give up illusions to thesecular translated text, is far removed perbole inbill, relation Shukla’s serves wordless service, proceeded to from the the authors of the haveto always hadpoetry, a senseitof written, for instance, Mars anddeabout about the existing state ofabout affairs is the well to emphasise theof uniqueness of an averoriginal poetic voice, and theasked poetsrethemwaiting TV crews, where they were the fantastic forcefulness opinion ranged orbiting Soyuz spacecraft). mand to give the up aEarth statein ofthe affairs which needs ageitHindi sentence composed by selves never be sure of what being conpeatedly tocan platitudinise about their isfather’s against and they had responded

by Shukla. stating CritEverything a writer writes, Shukla says, illusions.

The criticism of religion is therefore veyed in their name. Let’s not that only ics bill say does of his that anor religion, in embryo the criticism life and about the contentious bill forget still sitting that the not work mention God should of bethe considered partthe of one vale of tears, informed reader canfraudulent instantly practices. halo of which is whole the reader can bridge thisofdivide, by traversin abeyance.

Within 28 hours Dabholkar’s and that it only targets work. “Doosri kavita darasal religion. ing the through thickets ofapproved one language whether a given sequencewill tell us slaying, statethe government thatto reNow,tell even a cursory examination haiimaginary (The poemflowthat fol“Criticism hasvohi tornkavita up the hasdoctrines emergedoffrom the other. Introduced Those whoonare committed bill asach an ordinance.

December that of thewords principal most religions ers from the chain lows the same poem notissoactually that man shall wear In Shukla’s work, theinvolve pen of Vinod Kumar of Shukla enough to do so have twice the 11, 2013, the Maharashtra Prevention andpleasure Eradi- in would an assertion at least one of the unadorned, that past).” bleakwent chain but so that he will the dream is the store for themSacrifice — the pleasures of Inhudiscovery not. And this, to be of sure, cation of Human and other the 12orclauses on the Schedule the Act (six of shake off the chain He has previously declared and pluck the living that reality of recognition. be said above), of manyparticularly poets in the one flower.” man,and Evilthat and Aghori Practices and Black themcan’t mentioned what’s left unsaid in one poem, he That’s what whenbyI first the poet world literature.

Magic Bill 2013 wasI felt passed bothread Houses on miracles.

If the miracle can be described as sayswasn’t in themeant next. to Shukla, Dabholkar’s bill pluckwho the has So in conversation with this: Vinod Kumar last of name is prowithin a week.

It is Shukla now, in (the the state Mahaa violation ofmy a law of nature, consider turned 78, admits thatthe his eyeliving flower. Butjust I shall ask you this: would Shukla, I first raised nounced ‘shook-l’,non-bailable without an ‘a’) in Hindi. rashtra, a cognisable, offence to I’d The Old Testament isthe an subject agglutination of amputation of asight “changes non-regeneratevery two months”, non-diseased, earlier encountered his or poems excellently of67 translation. doesminor the poet feel about commit, promote, propagate practise or about major andWhat multiple miracles. and his heart is not as strong as it was.part But he is ing, functional, protective and erogenous read inT:a language foreign him? Every into English

by Arvind Krishna causerendered to promote, propagate or practise hu-MehDittobeing for the New approximately 37to attribut“stretching” much as he can.

Hisas readers of the male penisas(in a powerless child) a which me inhuman, more thanevil a glimpse hasnarration its limits, a will man rotra, sacrifice andgave other and of ed tolanguage Christ. The ofhe theresponded, Quran by Ji-and part glad tomade knowtothat his writing of a be promise Abraham for a continfuwriter must bear with the that his work Shukla’s extraordinary poetic vision. aghori practices and black magic such as: In ‘The bril farishta to Muhammad as a fact consummate and a book forwhole children is of also in the offture ues, occupation of the land Canaan may loseofits original tone and resonance Way theforced Sun was Going Down’ heor writes: 1) Assault, ingestion of urine stool, reproduction what was written in heaven. ing. These are surely attempts say what be punishable under thehis third clausetomen(“bhasha kimystic dhwanitravel aur goonj”) the lin“The way thebranding, sun was going down/ where it forced sexual acts, etc. on the preMuhammad’s to the once seventh was left unsaid init? his previous pieces. But one tioned above?

Should guistic changes.

“Lekhan ki bhasha me hopes that whatever he says next, will remain going down/ In the sea, an the allegedly west was/ Gotext was of exorcising ghosts from heaven on amedium steed called Al-Buraq. asatwik@gmail.com ing down with it, leaving/ No west for tomor- A profusion doosri jhalak ko bardaasht kiyaof ja the sakta possessed person. of miracles in each 18hai Ma-(Your just as incomplete. writing reflected in another language can be row’s sun to go down in.” vineet gill is a Delhi-based freelance writer Reading Shukla in Hindi was, naturally, a put up with),” he added.

The weight of evidence

In the ‘anti-superstition’ bill introduced in Maharashtra in 2013, Narendra Dabholkar et al don’t raise the epistemological question nor get into the business of adjudicating miracles

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Author of ellipsis

Among the last of the greats in modern Hindi poetry, Vinod Kumar Shukla on the importance of the incomplete and straddling poetry and prose

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Ambarish Satwik is a Delhi-based vascular surgeon and writer

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Cop turns match-fixer A former policeman’s relationship advisory service is based on the psychometric tests used to nab criminals

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Couple of questions Gaurav Sareen, CEO, Perfiniti

policeman-turned-entrepreneur is relying on a few tricks of his former trade to ply his new business — a relationship advisory service that helps people find the right life partner or salvage an existing relationship based on the psychometric tests otherwise used to nab criminals.

In fact, the corporate sector has for a while deployed these tests to hire the right candidate.

A cyber-crime expert and behavioural specialist, 42-year-old Gaurav Sareen was intrigued by the large number of failed relationships he observed around him — be it in Delhi or in faraway Sydney, where he worked as a policeman for over 12 years.

“In Australia, the social structure is different from India’s. The women there don’t experience the same kind of

social constraints. Starting or ending relation- Delhi, was seeing her boyfriend for three years ships is not as difficult as it is in India. Yet, al- but was unsure about marrying him. “I took most 70 per cent of our work (in Sydney) was this test and the result showed that we were related to domestic problems,” he says. complete opposites. I understood why I hesi“When lack of communication and compat- tated so much to marry him. We parted ways ibility is an issue in a society where there is without any hard feelings,” she says. nothing holding people back, imagine what it Interestingly, even long-married couples would be in India, with its unwritten tenets are using psychometric analysis to iron out for men and women,” he adds. mutual differences in the relationship. Rajesh On his return to India in 2010, he explored Gupta*, a corporate executive-turned-entrethe idea of devising a foolproof method for de- preneur, was going through a rough patch termining the compatibility between two when his venture didn’t do as well as expectpeople. The result was Perfiniti, ed. The excessive time spent outthe Gurgaon-based company he side the home without founded in June 2013 which ofcommensurate financial returns fers not only tools to help people began to impact his married life.

I understood why I zero in on a suitable partner but “When my wife told me about hesitated so much to also behavioural coaching.

Perfiniti, I reluctantly agreed, exFor a fee of ₹2,500, each cou- marry him. We parted pecting the same old marriage ways without any ple is put through a psychometcounsellor garbage. But our comhard feelings ric test, licensed from Finland’s patibility test was interesting — it Extended DISC. They have to anshowed that while I am a riskswer 24 simple questions with a taker, my wife is a detail-oriented ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Although the quesplanner and organiser. While tions appear very plain and simthere were other factors too, this ple — ‘Do you like watching TV at night?’ or ‘Do was the most important,” he says. The couple you prefer a certain brand of toothpaste?’ for signed up for behavioural coaching classes instance — there is an algorithm at work here and found it transformative. “We fight less as that measures various personal traits on a we have both accepted our differences and scale of minus 5 to plus 5. made them our strengths,” Rajesh says.

Based on the report, couples can opt for beSareen is currently developing an app (both havioural coaching, which cost up to ₹30,000 desktop and mobile versions) for compatibilidepending on the number of sessions. ty tests. Users can undergo the app-based test In the year-and-a-half since its launch, the and approach him for analysis and behavioucompany has “grown much faster than ex- ral coaching, if necessary. pected”, says Sareen, although he declines to (*Names have been changed on request.) share any numbers.

Ratika Dutt*, a public relations executive in rashmi pratap

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READER’S DIE JEST

Shrio and Zoobi

Please mind G the gap Q

A roast of It Happens for a Reason, because that is the easiest way to spare you readers

arunava sinha

ood morning, ladies, gentlemen, and dogs. Especially dogs. Who know it’s better to commit suicide than to be part of an insipid story of a woman who lets her life slide into despair because she had to have a child at 17 — faulty condoms! — after which the father, unbelievably, disappeared.

So, let’s put our paws together for Shiro and Zoobi, the greatest lovers of art ever, for willingly consuming poisoned meat and dying instead of being fawned over in this sorry saccharine saga. If we hadn’t been so well-bred to begin with, we’d have bitten all the characters in this novel and given them rabies, so that you readers could have been spared.

As for you, Vipasha, did your mother mortgage your brains to fund your five-star birth, or did you do it yourself at boarding school for lipstick? Everyone has a crush at 17, unless you’re so fat that your crush kills the boy you’re drooling over. Some get pregnant. A few the babies. no man’s even keep ntheir Butland whowhere breakslove up ends—and begins, stands with the father sonacrimony of a rich man — without the divorce PrivyNGOs to alltake the taking any money fromlawyer. him? Even dysfunctions entailed the realdonations from corporations thatinchoose to ity of happily screw them. ever-afters, these professionals help separate the financial threads amid And that modelling career.

Why didemoyou tional distress and drama.

Even of though digive it up?

You were on the cover Glamour. vorce rates in are among therecognised lowest in Two people in India this novel actually the it is aYou fast-growing In Mumyou world, afterwards. could haveniche. gone back to it. bai, Kolkata, and Chennai, leading diThey’re doingDelhi a lot of commercials with cluevorce lawyers are women seeing the number of clients less middle-aged in them. almost doubling everyfor year.

BLink meetsdogs. four And this boarding rich people’s of them hear theFactor stories have tell.

That’s us.toThis Paw of they yours.

Youto run it Oh, Day! withand onehey, old Happy man toValentine’s look after all of us? He’s so

ancient and blind that half the days he feeds he ever knew her. the bushes in the garden instead of us.

But you, Aryan. You got all excited when you This Jamu kaka, can’t he cook anything else found out your father was a DJ. And you made for us? The same meat and vegetables every him come to India. You wanted his dollars, day. But then that’s just like your life, Vee. The didn’t you? And your mom brought you up as same thing, day in and day out. And no, we such a loser you were even willing to settle for aren’t talking about that. Because you aren’t Australian dollars. getting any, are you?

Ankush and Vipasha. Vipasha and Ankush.

Ankush. You’re the guy who got her preg- No, Modi sir did not say ‘make out in India’. It nant. And got her into modwas not your patriotic duty to sleep elling. Who are you, Tinder with each other after 17 years when and naukri.com rolled into you thought your son had been one? And then your son gets washed away in a flash flood in UttaThe last time anyone in touch with you after all rakhand. What were you thinking? behaved that way on those years, and immediateThat your faked orgasms would unseeing a son he had ly you’re going weak at the drown your son? Didn’t you know knees. The last time anyone fathered long ago, his the heroine’s children never die in name was ND Tiwari behaved that way on seeing saccharine romances? Oh, I forgot, a son he had fathered long between the two of you the only ago, his name was ND Tiwari. book you’d ever read was Facebook.

You, Aryan. First, son, we And this storyline. Full of surpriscan’t blame you. We liked es. Like the one you get when you see run around for her divorce, she kept Mumbai playing with you. And when you felt you had as thewell sunas rising every morning.

If this novel had it and the Bar examinto reach out to your father, we thought maybe at been any eventually deeper youcleared could have drowned an “We are notstand vibing” is one of Mumbai’s leading you couldn’t being with your mother ation. ant inToday, it. Allshe right, maybe not drown, butdiit Vandana wascouldn’t thrown stand out ofbeing her with hus- vorce anymore. Shah Hell, we wouldlawyers. at least have had to hold its breath. band’s home anymore. with the clothes on her back and “A lotyou of people to me and tell they your mother Now know,come dogs and ladies andme gentle₹750 in did the she bank few were onecommitted of their marriage.

What doaccount. all day atOver that the gymnext anyway, men,unhappy why Shirofrom andday Zoobi suicide years, sheher fought an extended divorce find that impossible. think if it paid a fourth of what she earnedbattle. from Irather thanrather live through this.Usually, Heaven Iknows in about four orLuckily five of our the By year three the litigation, she began toFacno- love boring us to of the point of suicide at Paw we’dchanges have joined themyear willingly. tice and lapses creep her marriage.

Theuskids have often arrived by then tor? discrepancies Who would look at her even with into a sculptowners took away.

It happens for a reason. lawyer’s onebeout, which priorities The difficult ed body work. if sheShe waspointed going to so to sorry for and (This monthlychange. column helps you talk part aboutofa her lawyer theso lawyer here,that not marriage, in ahaving way, istonegotiating herself all said, the “Well, time? I’m She’s pathetic book without read it.) this new noryou.” she’d just be a lawyer. when So sheShah camedecided on to our vet, who only had As- mal. Roughly, about halfway down the mararunava sinha translates and contemporary is when love startsclassic ending,” says Shah.

She enrolled for a degree, and though took riage perger’s Syndrome when he met her, heitdevelfiction andsharp-witted, non-fiction intothere Englisht much longer because she had to living Bengali Chatty and are @arunava no short oped early Alzheimer’s so that heearn coulda forget

With over 50,000 divorce cases in court, the Indian marriage is no coy, virginal bride. On Valentine’s Day, BLink lends a ear to divorce lawyers in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai

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It Happens for a Reason Preeti Shenoy Westland Books ₹200

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says, are least likely to get divorced — “They are very business-like about marriage.” Increasingly, she sees a lot of south Indians heading for the family courts. This is especially true in the demographic that works at IT companies, travels abroad often and for extended periods.

They have the financial independence for it and are not hesitant to exercise the option of divorce. Among Punjabis, it often comes down to money. Living in joint families and troubles with the mother-in-law are common triggers for divorce in this community.

Overall though, as more women find financial freedom, the less likely they are to stay in a troubled marriage. “Validation — both intellectual and physical — From 30 matters (parts of a case) a day is very important for women. Going to office is a validation. The in 2001 to 80 in 2015 way you look and the way you in— it’s almost a 300 teract with co-workers and busiper cent jump ness associates is a validation.

You feel good about yourself — appreciated and desired. Then you come back home to a man and his mum, who are only critical of you.

Women are saying I’m done with this bullshit, I’m getting out of here,” Shah says.

Despite all this, India is still a long way off from notching Western divorce rates of 50 per cent. As long as our marriage mantra is ‘kindly adjust’, it’ll last. Shah herself gets trolled on social media, and is often told off for ‘encouraging’ divorce. Divorce was a game changer for her — it changed the entire course of her life, and has given her a new mission — to remove the stigma associated with it. But despite the bitterness of her own divorce and all the dysfunctional marriages she is privy to, Shah isn’t are in the negative, her advice is to separate disillusioned about the institution. In fact, and work out a financial arrangement. If not, she’ll soon give it a second chance. she asks to proceed with the divorce, and try Kolkata and keep it simple and amicable.

Shah has recorded a significant increase in “Marital life is short, marital strife the number of divorces. In 2001, when she spent time in courts chasing her own divorce, is long” there were about 30 matters (parts of a case) a With a disarming chuckle, 84-year-old Sambday. In 2015, that number is 80 — a near 300 per hu Nath Mukerjee claims that age has not afcent jump. More men initiate divorce proceed- fected his alacrity. The senior lawyer still likes ings, in Shah’s experience, since they largely going to court every day, but he admits that control the purse strings and society does not his real intent is often only to “meet old friends and make some new ones”. Such luxujudge them too poorly, unlike women.

In Mumbai’s melting pot, Shah also observ- ries, he insists, are usually available only to es some regional tendencies. Gujaratis, she those in the legal profession. “A doctor, for in-

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conversations with Shah. Even as she was enduring her own prolonged court case (the fictionalised account of which, The Ex-Files, was published by Penguin in December), Shah set up a support group for people grappling with the end of their marriages. This, she says, helps her stay empathetic and non-judgemental about people and their problems. Yet, Shah is still shocked by the amount of abuse some people are willing to take, simply because getting out of a marriage is so fraught with uncertainty and societal criticism.

“A friend’s sister, for example, had what we all thought was the ultimate love marriage.

She was very bright, a topper in academics, and we all thought he was a super romantic guy. But soon after the wedding, he turned abusive. So much so that not only would he bring his girlfriends home, he would ask her to cook for them! She stayed in this marriage for 25 years, even though halfway through she started working and was earning ₹5 lakh a month. Finally, when he dislodged her eye socket, her sister and brother-in-law urged her to leave him. I had reconnected with her on Facebook by then and told her that the law and the police were on her side. It’s amazing how much she was willing to live with and to what end!” she says.

The other phenomenon Shah observes is among recently married 20-somethings. They approach her with all kinds of trivial reasons for divorce. One 24-year-old boy came to her office and said he wants to divorce his wife of two years because “we are not vibing”. “I was thinking, well, that’s not going to be enough for a brief,” she says.

Shah has a checklist for people who first approach her, especially women. The first question is, are you financially stable? If you aren’t, you are going to have to go crawling back, so think hard about it. The second question is if the kids are on your side. The third, and very significant query, is whether you feel you have the strength and the courage to take on society’s backlash. If the answers to these questions

Sambhu Nath Mukerjee shreevatsa nevatia

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stance, cannot avoid his patients. A lawyer, on her husband, his mother, father, siblings, even concludes the lawyer, is that it can be a little the other hand, can certainly choose to avoid his servants and maids. Our women are not too sporadic. Several divorce litigations have his clients.” Mukerjee, an authority in many raised in that fashion these days. We give them left Mukerjee with the recipe for a happy maraspects of divorce law, seems amused by the an education and upbringing that is equal.” riage: “You need love, attachment, generosity, whimsy of his comparison. He continues, “If Women lawyers in the country’s High Courts but above all, you must not always find fault you want to be cured, you are expected to tell and Supreme Court, says Mukerjee, are worthy with your spouse. We’re all flawed and no your doctor the truth. You’ll find examples of an unalterable good can ever come from being fixated on the that in matters of matrimony, emancipation. “But even they other’s defects. No couple should have to live truth and untruths always come aren’t very vociferous about their lives like disinterested passengers, but mixed together.” women’s rights. We need to practice and experience can sometimes help It was in 1953 that Mukerjee change our legal and mental make a difficult marriage perfect.”

No couple should had passed out of Calcutta Uni- have to live their lives processes. If we want freedom versity with an LLB degree. and development, we will have to Delhi like disinterested Though the octogenarian’s obpay heed to Swami Vivekananda passengers “Divorce is like cancer” servations come laced with an and value our womankind.” endearing levity, it is hard to disDecades of embattled proceed- For 30 years, Malavika Rajkotia has been hearcount the substance of their inings later, Mukerjee says he ing upper-class Delhi complain and argue formed wisdom. In a career that found himself surprised not by about their spouses. Of all the divorces she has has spanned over half a century, Mukerjee has the outlandish, but by the ordinary. The od- been involved in, barely three have ended in seen himself involved in the divorce proceed- dest case he had ever been part of involved reconciliation. “This is a step that people take ings of Kolkata’s “superstars, its paperwal- two writers, both with great political pedi- after a lot of thought; in fact, after they have lahs,” its rich and its powerful. Too discreet to grees. After months of being unable to recon- eliminated all other avenues. Divorce is still Konkan In Killa, we he watch the young, Pune-bred delight in the undeniable quietagreed beauty of altered surroundings courtesy filmworks not taken lightly inmrthis country. So post-didiscloseblues particulars, masterfully deflects protagonist cile their differences, they had tohis file further prodding with a historical anecdote. for divorce. On the day that they came to court vorce reconciliation is very rare,” she says.

In her book-lined office at the Capital’s In 1956, Mukerjee’s colleague had returned to collect their decree, Mukerjee was witness PICTURE THIS from a trip to the Soviet Union with a startling to a curious sight. “The recently divorced man Green Park neighbourhood, the whimsically discovery. “This senior lawyer had found him- was leaving the courtroom when his former coloured chairs add a dash of spring. Yet the self in a Russian court of law one day. He saw a wife called out to him — ‘Don’t forget your um- stories aired in this office are grim. They are acyoung couple sitting there, talking peacefully. brella. It’s very sunny outside. You won’t be counts of affairs, of abuse and neglect. It is not They were there to get their official decree of able to walk without it.’” The trouble with love, surprising then that Rajkotia begins by comparing divorce to cancer. “It is a separation. Without any bickering, grim example but I am amazed how they came to court, got their decree similar they are. Cancer, I am told, is and left quietly. At that time, this your own body reacting against was unthinkable in India.” you. Here, your marriage is reacting The Marriage Laws (Amendment) against you. It’s not nourished and Act of 1976 finally made divorce by it makes you unhappy, miserable mutual consent a possibility for Inand uncomfortable. There’s no tondia’s many irreconcilable marriaghis past Mukerjee week, I finally was watched Killa, dren can, for once, be the pivot of events. Over two adolescent ic to improve affectpoint everyfor part es.

While boys as it. a It’ll take-off a one of Marathi films you.

And even the good of unreservedly in those favour of such a that won the last two decades, several talented Iranian meditationofon identity, life and death.parts Rajesh loyal that viewership year. I wasn’t directors, like Majid Majidi (Children of Heaven Pinjani’s moving your life will seem awful.(2011), The only move, hea feels there last is still Baboo Band Baaja set Avinash Arun’s com- and The Colour of Paradise), Jafar Panahi (The in a familydifference between cancer and dimuch thatdisappointed. can be done in order to of traditional musicians who must ing-of-age tale laws is fulland of understated will survive diis of that you grandees, make divorce litigation charm. White Balloon), Abbas Kiarostami (Where is My play at thevorce houses village made For it is beautifully shot, the Friend’s Home?) and Samira Makhmalbaf (The its child protagonist will eventually feel vorce and you less one, complicated.

“A delay in capturing the the subject of a painful magic of a Konkan seaside village, better,” says. conclusion of matrimonial cases inwithout ev- Apple), have chosen to focus on children’s tussle between hisshe aspirational mother and er making it seem toodifficult unbelievably I askfather.

Rajkotia if any of herofclients India remains a very sub- lush. Tor- worlds, working in the gentle Neorealist style his less hopeful The shackles caste rential monsoon rain punctuates have ever expressedsubject regret here. after getject. People start litigation at the the film, associated with Vittoro de Sica’s Italian classic, were very much the unstated Naproducing both momentousness tingFandry a divorce.

Has anyone wished age of 35 and by the time they have and fore- The Bicycle Thief. Certainly, Bicycle Thief is a mod- graj Manjule’s (2013) spoke more clearboding whilstone steering of both the high el for a fluid, more spontaneous cinema, for a ly and stridently they had married? see peomoved from courtclear to another, ofstayed the same issue,“Iwith the drama and romance that rain now worstthe partgrim of their they find that they are suddenly 55 signals in camera genuinely interested in its surround- school andple thethrough village the forming setpopular cinema.

Alongside It’s heartbreaking understandablefilm thatabout they and still Indian without a divorce.

Maritalthe ruined ings. The French film critic Andre Bazin had ting for a lives. layered, fort the short, film’s title, the rough palm-fringed noted early on that Ladri de Biciclette was the the humiliations don’t want to hang with me life isofvery but thanks to judiof caste andaround the dreams of beach with its few fishing boats and a vast quintessential Neorealist film because “not transcending once divorce over,”openly she says, cial delays, marital strife lengthit. the Manjule hasis spoken of calm seasays. stretching into the distance, the rain one scene [is] shot in the studio, “but ever regrets orithe ens,” he theI doubt film’sanyone autobiographical is also integral Killa’ssubexceptionally everything is shot in the streets”. divorce. the contrary, they enjoy When asked to creating pick the most gins. On Sujay Dahake’s Shala vivid sense of place. the(School, freedom.”

There were no highly paid prostantial change he had witnessed 2011), about adolescent It helps thatas we’re seeing this world fessional actors, no real ‘plot’, no Much has changed in theacross three during his years a divorce lawyer, romance and yearnings Children liberate through fresh pair eyes: those of an 11-year- expensively produced setting. decades that Rajkotia has spent Mukerjeea didn’t haveofto think hard. the boundaries of class, reveals plots by introducing old Chinmay (Chinu for short), who has “No more actors, no more story, non-essential actions hearing aboutnostalgic what goesgaze on within Thecalled answer, he said, was obvious. the clearly of the just moved the village. is a city boy no more sets, which is to say that families.

But the most important “In the ’60s,to women were Chinu petrified young filmmaker. from Pune, and even as heToday, finds his new in the perfect aesthetic illusion change, now womof going through a divorce.

On she the says, heelsisofthat Vikramaditya schoolwork unchallenging hisI new class- of reality, there is no more cineenMotwane’s are able to ask for their entitlethat stigma doesn’t exist as and much.

Udaan (2010) also mates rough andwho unimpressive, ments embarrassment.

“In know of people have beenwe di-watch him ma,” wrote Bazin. camewithout a few small-budget Hindi delight in the quiet of his the past, when a setIndian cinema had Satyajit Ray, who fa- films reminiscing vorced four to undeniable five times. We livebeauty in aboutwomen ’80s sought childhoods: altered surroundings: forded stream, the mously stated his artistic debt to Bicycle Thief, Shashi Sudigala’s tlement, it was dismissed as a changed society. The the atmosphere Cycle Kickalways (2011) made a cycle mincing walkThe oflawyer’s crabs on the beach. Arun and placed children at the heart of his own the pivot ofgreediness. tittered brothabout is different.” thoughts a tale aboutPeople two not-well-off zooms in on those things that seemed first feature. Though Ray’s film most certainly ers — it even that.gets Despite this, I now see Thief that fiare interrupted by small a literary referstolen, a la Bicycle — so large when we were kids:“In a gift, nanceLal’s is discussed ence he thinks is pertinent. one a letter, a had a plot, based on Bibhutibhushan Bando- while Sanjivan refreshingunashamedly, Bubble Gum promise, a visit.

Here, too, place and time are padhyay’s novel, he did cast non-professional (2011) dealtunabashedly, honestly, as’80s it should of his novels, Sarat Chandra Chattowith the dynamics of an housmade constantly relevant, positioning the actors — and the brother-sister pair Apu and ing colony.be. Earlier, the husband’s side padhyay had written that before film within a precise pre-liberalisation social Durga, lithe of limb and fleet of foot, were ask — but what do you want leaving to get married, a boy tells But for would some reason, Marathi filmmakers geography the Icycle that impresses — and the wife feel interlousy his mother,—‘Ma, am going to fetch the boys what made Pather Panchali unforgettable. As appear to be thethen onesmake overwhelmingly is from Mumbai, the new-fangled pencil box is they stole fruit from neighbours, ran after the ested in childhood. about asking toocoming-of-age much or too you a maid.’

If someone were to say And for these from Dubai, the simple Konkani fare sweet-seller, listened for the train and got narratives little, leaving herthan confused that now, he while wouldn’t find many seem, more often not, to about be adseems the Pune-bred boy. asking for child support, etc. That memorably drenched in a downpour, they aptations of takers rustic in thetomatrimonial market. their own experience.

What is it about seeing through the child’s produced a startlingly lovely visual and aural in the system is kind of beThat’s a blessing, really.”

Perhapspettiness what is surprising is not that there eyeMukerjee that makes for such sensitive, hind us.films, We are is only too aware that observant record of life in the Bengali village. And yet are so many such butmore that professional there aren’t cinema?

Richard Tapper, in achange 2002 book on the Ray’s coming-of-age tale was hardly romantic: more of them. now, After and the important of his account of progressive all, even if the aspects necessary ‘new Iranian cinema’, makesbythe divorce are discussed more is somewhat contradicted theinteresting the rural idyll killed off one child; the stricken 15-minute the bachpan sequence has practically observation that “children openly,” limitations of social reality.liberate Men, heplots by in- family was forced to migrate to the city. disappeared from she our says. popular films, memotroducing actions — generally The approach women to themRecent Marathi cinema, following de Sica ries of childhood says, alwaysnon-essential have an upper hand in are theof most cinematic loafing around onare a street in a rural selves to marriage has and Ray in its understated realism, seems also thing we all a marriage.

“They neveror asked to area”. have inand our heads.

The their Iranians, of course, changed, observes Rajkotia, but the leave homes and livespecialise with a in trans- to have taken childhood as its favoured locale. is a writer and criticisbased lating the harsh, reality of the adult Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni’s Vihir (The Well, trisha gupta reason a divorce stillin Delhi acrimowoman’s family.unseeing It is always the Rajkotiaturned kamal narang universe intoisaexpected cinematic world — whereMalavika chil- 2009) nious is because the man’s apthe lively friendship between t@chhotahazri woman who to satisfy

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The wide-eyed angle

What is it about seeing through the child’s eye that makes for such sensitive films? Recent Marathi cinema, like de Sica and Ray, seems to have taken childhood as its favoured locale

trisha gupta

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A carver from Kanker

proach has not. The gender expectation of men that their wives must make all the adjustments, that they play the subordinate, subservient role in a marriage, is still very strong. So men are surprised when their wives decide they have had enough. “The acknowledgment of what the woman has done for the family should come in financial terms,” says Rajkotia.

Increasingly, a lot of women who are financially secure seek her advice on divorce. “And it thrills me that there are women who say I hope I don’t have to pay my husband. These are small steps, society is evolvmake but it a show pointour never to ask them ing in theabout right way,” says. their she past, or talk about what Rajkotiaishas no time for people whobut want to happening right now, only divorce over trivial reasons. hears some contemplate about“One the future,” says stories, about47, people foratdivorce Ajay Mandavi, when filing we meet the 17th beancause their wives refused totheatre oil their hair, or nual Bharat Rang Mahotsav festival of they had to goSchool to work But I the National ofwithout Drama, breakfast.

Delhi. Describdon’t those on,” says. But there are ing histake experience of she teaching wood-carving plenty of really serious as well.ChhattisPhysical at Kanker district jail instories North Bastar, abuse is very much a part of some mar-a garh, the soft-spoken educator hadIndian delivered riages irrespective social class.

And itinisn’t lecture—at the festivalofsession ‘Marginal the relegated men beating up their wives. The Market of to Theatre’. reverse often happens too.seen “I have had men A proud Gond, he has firsthand his tell medistrict they had to lock themselves in the home metamorphose from an underbathroom while their region wives raged on,that and developed but peaceful into one is there was abyvery real possibility she would wracked untold violence. that “When I was harm him are also come cases growing up,physically. we couldThere go anywhere, where violence — ‘Aren’tnothyou back atthe anywife time,incites there was no checking, going to hit me? Aren’t you only goingafter to hit — ing,” says Mandavi.

“It was theme’ ’90s so that there could that it became whatbe it aiscause now...for youcomplaint. can’t step And that’sdark dreadful.

Life is too to live like out after and more thanshort 10 people can that, sadly,together that is the reality permission for a lot of neverbut come without people,” she even if it’s forsays. a wedding or any social event.”

Among Delhi’s moneyed maritalartist’, bickDescribing himself as a elite, ‘god-gifted ering begins before the he saysoften he has been working onmarriage. wood and Peoprople, who bundles on remember. engagement ducing art spend for as long as he can It parties fancy on forwas in and 2010commit that hetogot anweddings opportunity to eign reach the lawyer’s office before teachshores, his skills and simultaneously relinquish the wedding, seeking assurances and reassuhis day job in the state’s revenue department. rances that the money promised wouldand be The Collector had summoned Mandavi spent. Some of these weddings go on for two and three weeks, which results in protracted interactions between the two families and

that in itself gives rise to innumerable prob- called her and asked her to come back. The lems. Pre-nuptial agreements, while valid in man refused, insisting that since his wife left India, are hardly ever used. Rajkotia has had home of her own accord, she must come back only one or two clients enquiring about pre- on her own as well. No one wanted to be the nups so far. Despite its practicality, people of- first to ‘admit defeat’. It was an impasse that ten view it as a sour way to start a marriage. had ego written all over it. “I found it so Most cases that Rajkotia sees are people di- strange that two educated people, with thrivvorcing in their 50s. No matter how bad the ing careers, could not get past their egos. She marriage, people tend to wait for their chil- gave up in seven days, and he couldn’t bring dren to grow up and be ‘settled’ before calling himself to take that first step.” their life their own. A lot of it has to do with Trouble, however, comes in all shapes and stressful lives in nuclear families, where the melodramatic sizes. Raman remembers how a burden to make money, raise wholesome, young once approached herThe for an annulskills toman teach inmates in the jail.

Collector healthy kids and live an envy-inducing life- ment right after the wedding. typbelieved that would be a greatTheirs routewas for athem style takes its toll. The minute the kids are out ical Tam-Brahm arranged marriage — or so he to change,” he says.

He took along his toolbox of the house, the couple lands up at the law- thought, until after thevery engagement, and headed to the jail the next day forthe his yer’s. “Sometimes, I also see the bad side of groom-to-be received an email him first class with 14 students, all ofwarning them underthis postponement of individual freedom. Af- about his fiancée.

She, the maillinks. claimed, trials accused of having Maoist Todaywas he ter the divorce, a lot of people go on to live tying the knot appease her parents and prehas more thanto350 students, including many these very bizarre hedonistic lifestyles, where paring to run away soon after.

When confrontwith a livelihood they owe to him.

“They really they are completely switched off from any ed, the denied allare such accusations took togirl it. The Gond great learners and andin it kind of responsibility. So much so that they adidn’t scenetake straight of than a Kollywood script, them out more a few weeks to aren’t even accessible to family and old dragged theA pooja lit camphor produce him goodtoart. few ofroom, them now make a friends,” she says. on her from bare palm andcalligraphy swore to him that it was living wooden and have, in Rajkotia’s husband passed all a lie,ina their fabrication. turn, taught others village.”Convinced, away when she was only 36, and he ignored and He is now preparing forfurther his nextemails big project she has spent three decades imwedding went ahead as — a trainingthe centre near Anthagad, about mumersed in the muddy matters of planned.

Minutes before 90km from Kanker.

“The problem withthe Bastar For all the variables, he got athe call from the an marital bitterness, but she is still is that if youhurtham, are supporting police, there’s but one kill anonymous warning a proponent of the institution.

Maoists you and if number you support the constant — Maoists, there is the him of her he “Of course, my children somepoliceagain kill you.

Theflight. tribal But people no perfect marriage went ahead anyway, to times tell me that I am only full are sandwiched with no way out,” hemostly says, addthechange, embarrassment. of cautionary tales about maring fervently,avoid “Art can and changeUnfor riage,” she says. Good marriages the better.” like in masala films though, hapever the afters cangovernment be hard to eventually settle into a certain His wish pily is that state come by. In love with a man from cynical but comfortable co-existshould buy the artworks made by the inmates different girl, whosethereby father threatence, people just don’t know this is what they aand displaycaste, thesethe in its offices, encoutothem kill himself if shemore married should expect. “Romantic love,” Rajkotia says, ened raging to produce andoutside make aher livto the wedding, only to “after 25 years can be rather exhausting. Who caste, ing outagreed of it. “That waysham they won’t be forced Life of that?!” art Ajay Mandavi kamal narang leave her newfor husband needs take up arms one sideinorthe thelurch. other.”But did his friend after hearing about their innovative the blame lie squarely at the door of the girl?

Chennai Not all such stories must end on a bitter arasu idea for a brick kiln. “He asked us to use our sibi note though, proving — even if in curious ways “She gave up in seven days” — that sometimes love conquers all. Raman reIn 15 years of her career, lawyer Dharma Ra- calls one such couple in their mid-40s, who man has found herself more inclined to take fell in love, defied their parents, got married up divorce cases — cases with a human side. and raised two teenage girls together. The And there has never been a dull moment. “It’s man came to her one day, distraught after his fascinating how different people react to the wife filed for divorce, accusing him of sexual same situations,” she says. But for all the varia- abuse. According to him, his wife had fallen inbles, says Raman, there’s but one constant — to bad company and had started neglecting “There is no perfect marriage.” her family, choosing instead to go out drinkEvery relationship needs time, and those ing and partying. She had even had a couple of willing to give it that time and effort are the boyfriends. He said she was a changed person. ones who make work a—recreation “It’s that simple”. proved to be not itmerely but also But he refused to divorce wife, andgrading) insisted (editing, finalising soundhis and colour “Marriage as aforconcept today. that life changing many ofhas its changed players coming wasaonly led astray by her friends and tookshe about week.

Whether it’s a love or arranged marriage, It marfrom underprivileged backgrounds. is alcohol. Fighting a battle in court for a couple riage changes and your equations change among the fiveyou, winners at the Sundance Film of years, allowing his wife towas move out while You’re from Bengaluru, what your after marriage.

I have seen couples whoshorthave he Festival’s Short Film Challenge this year, looked after the kids, convinced that her impression of Elliot’s Beach and the Frisbee fallen in love, dated listed from a pool of for 1,387seven filmsyears from or 89 more, coun- boyfriends were mere distractions, and that scene in Chennai? who to get But within a the tries.couldn’t Bharat wait Mirle, 27, married. who co-directed the drinking partying was temporary, the It’s crazy!

Theand beach is bustling with not only year theuswedding, they’rethe at making court, seeking film,of tells what spurred of this man took a long agreeplaying to a divorce by Frisbee teams, buttime alsoto people all sorts divorce by mutual consent.

It makes you won- mutual documentary and what’s next.

Evenfootball then he said he knew of sportsconsent. (rugby and included).

I had der how couples like our parents, who barely she would backFrisbee to him some day. When heard of come Ultimate through some knew each otherforbeforehand, managed How did the idea this short film come to he saw her in court, herbut haggard appearance — friends from the US, had no idea it had make about?it last for decades,” says Raman. after-effects, perhaps, of a long night out — caught on like this in India.

Recounting a recent case, where couple would have him worrying. “That was a kind of Aravind Iyer, my co-director, is an aUltimate met and decided to with get married, but the girl love, player and practises the Bengaluru-based I had never seenfilm before,” saysyou’ve Raman, “at Which are the other projects been walked out on herWhen husband week, Ra- least team Airbenders. onewithin of ouraproducers notwith? from a man. In fact, the entire epiinvolved man’s is decidedly camea sode told ustone about Sundance,cautionary. we decided“She to make reminded of documentary the women from 40 175 Grams is the me third film I’ve to meon with father.

Young and well-educatfilm the her sport.

Aravind and Sudhanva, one years ago, as their husworked on.who Lastsilently year, wewatched made a documentary ed, she business was determined to in endYogensha, the marriage. of my partners knewI bands set upinhomes with their mistresses, called Lapses Time, which was about a conasked her, isn’t onemembers week too and littlewe to reached give up convinced the Fly!Wild team they would someday to temporarythat photographer, Kashyap return Thimaraon man?

But sheour wasidea. insistent… She told me their outato them with legally wife.” But the man’s ju, who useswedded a photographic process thatconwas that her husband was simply not interested in viction not entirely A year popularwas in the 1850s — the unfounded. wet plate collodion her.

She felt like agreat glorified caretaker.

There are some playing shots inShe thesaid film.I and a half divorce, the short couple recprocess.

Weafter havetheir made two other films, wash his clothes, I cook for himto and I go in to bed onciled, How well did the players adapt being mending the cracks that had once Junction and Damned. with all there is to it.” When no seemed irreparable. front him, of thethat’s camera? amount of dissuasion worked, Raman helped What’s The Frisbee team seemed quite comfortable Whether from a bad marriage nextit’s on freedom your plate? her client file for divorce by mutual consent. being on camera right from the start.

They or a more broken home, We rebuilding have a couple short filmssometimes, in the pipeBut months before hearing, thethey’d hus- happy weresix really excited to bethe a part of it and endings are made court,for notaheaven. line and I am working onin a script feature band his effort mind.to Hedive would make changed a conscious andkeep play callin a film. The idea is to produce a lot more work venugopal (Mumbai and Delhi), ing her and her to convince his veena manner that entreating looked good — hence the goodand learn a lot more. wife to give their The Shreevatsa Nevatia (Kolkata) and elizabeth looking shots.

Wemarriage shot foranother a little shot. over two (Chennai) sibi arasu girl she the would only consider process it if he mathew days,decided and then post-production

In strife-torn Chhattisgarh, Gond artist Ajay Mandavi is inspiring undertrials to drop the gun and pick up the chisel to learn wood calligraphy

“I

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The whizz kids

An award-winning documentary captures Chennai’s passionate love affair with Ultimate Frisbee and the game’s many heroes who have risen from humble backgrounds

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ltimate Frisbee, one of the many innovations of ’60s America, has some of its most dedicated players and supporters here in India, especially in Chennai. The city boasts the most number of teams in the country — all of seven.

Its ever-accessible beaches are a prime reason for this, as Ultimate Frisbee is designed to be played on the sands.

Now there is a documentary, 175 Grams, charting the sport’s decade-old love affair with this coastal city, with a special focus on one of its more successful teams, Fly!Wild.

Made by Bengaluru-based Yogensha Productions, the film shows how the game has

Dharma Flying saucers 175 Grams documents howRaman Ultimate Frisbee is more than fun in the sand

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Not just a joy ride The future is unsure for Kolkata’s rickshaw-pullers, with plans to replace them with battery-powered vehicles

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rought to the city of joy by Chinese traders in the mid-19th century, the hand-pulled rickshaw continues its uncertain journey. Putting yet another spoke in its well-worn wheels is a recent proposal by the state government to upgrade Kolkata’s 6,000-odd rickshaws to battery-powered vehicles. While the details are sketchy as of now, in the offing is a sarkari rehabilitation package to help ease this transition to modern, humane ways.

Plying the narrow, cobbled lanes of old Kolkata, even when monsoon and water-logging renders everything else immobile, the rickshaw-wallahs usually rent their vehicles for ₹40 to ₹60 per day and earn anywhere between ₹100 and ₹500.

At odds with the ‘London-like’ vision of Kolkata long peddled by the state government, the rickety, hand-pulled rickshaw is not an embarrassment, however, to the men whose only source of income (no matter how meagre) it has always been.

Hailing largely from the neighbouring states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha, the migrant rickshaw-wallahs live mostly on the footpaths. The rickshaw is both a provider by day and a shelter by night for many.

So, as the rhythm of their gentle tread on the streets, the distant tinkling of their bells, recede, one can only hope that their lives will take a turn for the better. kr deepak

Morning glory A rickshaa

A rainy ride Braving the the only means to get aro o

A roadshow Barefoot on asphalt in the mild winters and harsh summers of Kolkata

A quick break Resting the calloused, worn-out feet awhile

A long wait A rickshaw-w w

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aaw-wallah plying his trade early in the day near New Market in Kolkata

e rain. The city is known for its incessant monsoon, when rickshaws become o ound

w wallah waits for passengers near New Market

Sky for a roof Sleeping on the footpaths near Alimuddin Street

Faster than light Even after a busy day, a rickshaw-wallah earns only about â‚š500

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stance, cannot avoid his patients. A lawyer, on her husband, his mother, father, siblings, even concludes the lawyer, is that it can be a little the other hand, can certainly choose to avoid his servants and maids. Our women are not too sporadic. Several divorce litigations have his clients.” Mukerjee, an authority in many raised in that fashion these days. We give them left Mukerjee with the recipe for a happy maraspects of divorce law, seems amused by the an education and upbringing that is equal.” riage: “You need love, attachment, generosity, whimsy of his comparison. He continues, “If Women lawyers in the country’s High Courts but above all, you must not always find fault you want to be cured, you are expected to tell and Supreme Court, says Mukerjee, are worthy with your spouse. We’re all flawed and no your doctor the truth. You’ll find examples of an unalterable good can ever come from being fixated on the that in matters of matrimony, emancipation. “But even they other’s defects. No couple should have to live truth and untruths always come aren’t very vociferous about their lives like disinterested passengers, but mixed together.” women’s rights. We need to practice and experience can sometimes help It was in 1953 that Mukerjee change our legal and mental make a difficult marriage perfect.”

No couple should had passed out of Calcutta Uni- have to live their lives processes. If we want freedom versity with an LLB degree. and development, we will have to Delhi like disinterested Though the octogenarian’s obpay heed to Swami Vivekananda passengers “Divorce is like cancer” servations come laced with an and value our womankind.” endearing levity, it is hard to disDecades of embattled proceed- For 30 years, Malavika Rajkotia has been hearcount the substance of their inings later, Mukerjee says he ing upper-class Delhi complain and argue formed wisdom. In a career that found himself surprised not by about their spouses. Of all the divorces she has has spanned over half a century, Mukerjee has the outlandish, but by the ordinary. The od- been involved in, barely three have ended in seen himself involved in the divorce proceed- dest case he had ever been part of involved reconciliation. “This is a step that people take ings of Kolkata’s “superstars, its paperwal- two writers, both with great political pedi- after a lot of thought; in fact, after they have lahs,” its rich and its powerful. Too discreet to grees. After months of being unable to recon- eliminated all other avenues. Divorce is still Konkan In Killa, wehe watch the young, Pune-bred delight in the undeniable quietagreed beauty of altered surroundings courtesy filmworks not taken lightly inmrthis country. So post-didiscloseblues particulars, masterfully deflects protagonist cile their differences, they had tohis file further prodding with a historical anecdote. for divorce. On the day that they came to court vorce reconciliation is very rare,” she says.

In her book-lined office at the Capital’s In 1956, Mukerjee’s colleague had returned to collect their decree, Mukerjee was witness PICTURE THIS from a trip to the Soviet Union with a startling to a curious sight. “The recently divorced man Green Park neighbourhood, the whimsically discovery. “This senior lawyer had found him- was leaving the courtroom when his former coloured chairs add a dash of spring. Yet the self in a Russian court of law one day. He saw a wife called out to him — ‘Don’t forget your um- stories aired in this office are grim. They are acyoung couple sitting there, talking peacefully. brella. It’s very sunny outside. You won’t be counts of affairs, of abuse and neglect. It is not They were there to get their official decree of able to walk without it.’” The trouble with love, surprising then that Rajkotia begins by comparing divorce to cancer. “It is a separation. Without any bickering, grim example but I am amazed how they came to court, got their decree similar they are. Cancer, I am told, is and left quietly. At that time, this your own body reacting against was unthinkable in India.” you. Here, your marriage is reacting The Marriage Laws (Amendment) against you. It’s not nourished and Act of 1976 finally made divorce by it makes you unhappy, miserable mutual consent a possibility for Inand uncomfortable. There’s no tondia’s many irreconcilable marriaghis past Mukerjee week, I finallywas watched Killa, dren can, for once, be the pivot of events. Over two adolescent ic to improve affectpoint everyfor parta es.

While boys as it. a It’ll take-off one of Marathi films you.

And even the good of unreservedly in those favour of such a that won the last two decades, several talented Iranian meditationofon identity, life and death.parts Rajesh loyal that viewership year. I wasn’t directors, like Majid Majidi (Children of Heaven Pinjani’s moving your lifeBaboo will seem awful.(2011), The only move, heafeels there last is still Band Baaja set Avinash Arun’s com- and The Colour of Paradise), Jafar Panahi (The in a familydifference between cancer and dimuch thatdisappointed. can be done in order to of traditional musicians who must ing-of-age tale laws is fulland of understated will survive diis of that you grandees, make divorce litigation charm. White Balloon), Abbas Kiarostami (Where is My play at thevorce houses village made For it is beautifully shot, the Friend’s Home?) and Samira Makhmalbaf (The its child protagonist will eventually feel vorce and you less one, complicated.

“A delay in capturing the the subject of a painful magic of a Konkan seaside village, better,” says. conclusion of matrimonial cases inwithout ev- Apple), have chosen to focus on children’s tussle between hisshe aspirational mother and er making it seem toodifficult unbelievably I askfather.

Rajkotia if any of herofclients India remains a very sub- lush. Tor- worlds, working in the gentle Neorealist style his less hopeful The shackles caste rential monsoon rain punctuates have ever expressedsubject regret after ject. People start litigation at the the film, associated with Vittoro de Sica’s Italian classic, were very much the unstated here.getNaproducing both momentousness ting Fandry a divorce.

Has anyone wished age of 35 and by the time they have and fore- The Bicycle Thief. Certainly, Bicycle Thief is a mod- graj Manjule’s (2013) spoke more clearboding whilstone steering of both the high el for a fluid, more spontaneous cinema, for a ly and stridently they had married? see peomoved from court clear to another, ofstayed the same issue,“Iwith the drama and romance that rain now through worstthe partgrim of their they find that they are suddenly 55 signals in camera genuinely interested in its surround- school andple the village the forming setpopular Alongside It’s heartbreaking understandablefilm thatabout they and still Indian withoutcinema. a divorce.

Maritalthe ruined ings. The French film critic Andre Bazin had ting for a lives. layered, fort the short, film’s title, the rough palm-fringed noted early on that Ladri de Biciclette was the the humiliations don’t want to hang with me life isofvery but thanks to judiof caste andaround the dreams of beach with its few fishing boats and a vast quintessential Neorealist film because “not transcending once divorce over,” openly she says, cial delays, marital strife lengthit. the Manjule hasisspoken of calm seasays. stretching into the distance, the rain one scene [is] shot in the studio, “but ever regrets orithe ens,” he theI doubt film’sanyone autobiographical is also integral creating Killa’ssubexceptionally everything is shot in the streets”. divorce. the contrary, they enjoy When asked to pick the most gins. On Sujay Dahake’s Shala vivid sense of place. the(School, freedom.”

There were no highly paid prostantial change he had witnessed 2011), about adolescent It helps thatas we’re seeing Much has changed in theacross three during his years a divorce lawyer,this world fessional actors, no real ‘plot’, no romance and yearnings Children liberate through fresh pair those of an 11-year- expensively produced setting. decades that Rajkotia has spent Mukerjeeadidn’t haveoftoeyes: think hard. the boundaries of class, reveals plots by introducing old Chinmay (Chinu for short), who has “No more actors, no more story, non-essential actions hearing aboutnostalgic what goesgaze on within Thecalled answer, he said, was obvious. the clearly of the just moved the village.

Chinu is a city boy no more sets, which is to say that families.

But the most important “In the ’60s,to women were petrified young filmmaker. from Pune, and even as heToday, finds his new in the perfect aesthetic illusion change, now womof going through a divorce.

On she the says, heelsisofthat Vikramaditya schoolwork unchallenging hisI new class- of reality, there is no more cineenMotwane’s are able to ask for their entitlethat stigma doesn’t exist as and much.

Udaan (2010) also mates rough andwho unimpressive, ments embarrassment.

“In know of people have beenwe di-watch him ma,” wrote Bazin. camewithout a few small-budget Hindi delight in the quiet of his the past, when women a setIndian cinema had Satyajit Ray, who fa- films reminiscing vorced four to undeniable five times. We livebeauty in about ’80s sought childhoods: altered surroundings: forded stream, the mously stated his artistic debt to Bicycle Thief, Shashi Sudigala’s tlement, it was as a changed society. The the atmosphere Cycle Kickalways (2011) dismissed made a cycle mincing walk oflawyer’s crabs on the beach. Arun and placed children at the heart of his own the pivot ofgreediness. tittered brothabout is different.”

The thoughts a tale aboutPeople two not-well-off zooms in on those things that seemed first feature. Though Ray’s film most certainly ers — it even that.gets Despite this, see Thief that fiare interrupted by small a literary referstolen, a Ilanow Bicycle — so large when we were kids:“In a gift, nanceLal’s is discussed ence he thinks is pertinent. one a letter, a had a plot, based on Bibhutibhushan Bando- while Sanjivan refreshingunashamedly, Bubble Gum promise, a visit.

Here, too, place and time are padhyay’s novel, he did cast non-professional (2011) dealtunabashedly, honestly, as’80s it should of his novels, Sarat Chandra Chattowith the dynamics of an housmade constantly relevant, positioning the actors — and the brother-sister pair Apu and ing colony.be. Earlier, the husband’s side padhyay had written that before film within a precise pre-liberalisation social Durga, lithe of limb and fleet of foot, were ask — but what do you want leaving to get married, a boy tells But for would some reason, Marathi filmmakers geography theIcycle that impresses the wife feel interlousy his mother,—‘Ma, am going to fetch the boys what made Pather Panchali unforgettable. As appear to — beand thethen onesmake overwhelmingly is from Mumbai, the new-fangled pencil box is they stole fruit from neighbours, ran after the ested in childhood. about asking toocoming-of-age much or too you a maid.’

If someone were to say Andfor these from Dubai, the find simple Konkani fare sweet-seller, listened for the train and got narratives little, leaving herthan confused that now, he while wouldn’t many seem, more often not, to about be adseems the Pune-bred boy. asking support, etc. That memorably drenched in a downpour, they aptations of takers rustic in thetomatrimonial market. their for ownchild experience.

What is it about seeing through the child’s produced a startlingly lovely visual and aural in the system is kind beThat’s a blessing, really.”

Perhapspettiness what is surprising is not that of there eyeMukerjee that makes for such sensitive, hind us.films, We are more is only too aware that observant record of life in the Bengali village. And yet are so many such but that professional there aren’t cinema?

Richard Tapper, in achange 2002 book on the Ray’s coming-of-age tale was hardly romantic: more of them. now, After and the of his account of progressive all, important even if the aspects necessary ‘new Iranian cinema’, makesbythe divorce are discussed more is somewhat contradicted theinteresting the rural idyll killed off one child; the stricken 15-minute the bachpan sequence has practically observation that “children openly,” limitations of social reality.liberate Men, heplots by in- family was forced to migrate to the city. disappeared from she our says. popular films, memotroducing actions — generally The approach of women to themRecent Marathi cinema, following de Sica ries of childhood says, alwaysnon-essential have an upper hand in are the most cinematic loafing around onare a street in a rural selves to marriage has and Ray in its understated realism, seems also thing we all a marriage.

“They neveror asked to area”. have inand our heads.

Thetheir Iranians, of course, changed, observes Rajkotia, but the leave homes and livespecialise with a in trans- to have taken childhood as its favoured locale. is a writer and criticisbased lating the harsh, reality of the adult Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni’s Vihir (The Well, trisha gupta reason a divorce stillin Delhi acrimowoman’s family. unseeing It is always the kamal narang universe intoisaexpected cinematic world —whereMalavika chil- Rajkotia nious is because the man’s ap2009) turned the lively friendship between t@chhotahazri woman who to satisfy

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The wide-eyed angle

What is it about seeing through the child’s eye that makes for such sensitive films? Recent Marathi cinema, like de Sica and Ray, seems to have taken childhood as its favoured locale

trisha gupta

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saturday, february 14, 2015

A carver from Kanker

proach has not. The gender expectation of men that their wives must make all the adjustments, that they play the subordinate, subservient role in a marriage, is still very strong. So men are surprised when their wives decide they have had enough. “The acknowledgment of what the woman has done for the family should come in financial terms,” says Rajkotia.

Increasingly, a lot of women who are financially secure seek her advice on divorce. “And it thrills me that there are women who say I hope I don’t have to pay my husband. These are small steps, society is evolvmake but it a show pointour never to ask them ing in theabout right way,” says. their she past, or talk about what Rajkotiaishas no time for people who want to happening right now, but only divorce over trivial reasons. hears some contemplate about“One the future,” says stories, about47, people filing foratdivorce beAjay Mandavi, when we meet the 17th ancause their wives refused totheatre oil their hair, or nual Bharat Rang Mahotsav festival of they had to goSchool to work But I the National ofwithout Drama, breakfast.

Delhi. Describdon’t those on,” says. wood-carving But there are ing histake experience of she teaching plenty of really serious as well.ChhattisPhysical at Kanker district jail instories North Bastar, abuse is very much a part of some mar-a garh, the soft-spoken educator hadIndian delivered riages social class.

And it lecture—atirrespective the festivalofsession ‘Marginal inisn’t the relegated men beating up their wives. The Market of to Theatre’. reverse often happens too.seen “I have had men A proud Gond, he has firsthand his tell medistrict they had to lock themselves in the home metamorphose from an underbathroom while their region wives raged on, and developed but peaceful into one that is there was by a very real possibility she would wracked untold violence. that “When I was harm him are also come cases growing up,physically. we could There go anywhere, where violence — ‘Aren’tnothyou back atthe anywife time,incites there was no checking, going to hit me? Aren’t youonly going to hit — ing,” says Mandavi.

“It was after theme’ ’90s so that there could a cause that it became whatbe it is now... for youcomplaint. can’t step And that’sdark dreadful.

Life is than too short to live like out after and more 10 people can that, sadly,together that is the reality permission for a lot of neverbut come without people,” she even if it’s forsays. a wedding or any social event.”

Among Delhi’s moneyed maritalartist’, bickDescribing himself as a elite, ‘god-gifted ering begins before the he saysoften he has been working onmarriage. wood and Peoprople, who spend bundles on remember. engagement ducing art for as long as he can It parties fancy on forwas in and 2010commit that hetogot anweddings opportunity to eign reach the lawyer’s office before teachshores, his skills and simultaneously relinquish the wedding, seeking assurances and reassuhis day job in the state’s revenue department. rances that the money promised wouldand be The Collector had summoned Mandavi spent. Some of these weddings go on for two and three weeks, which results in protracted interactions between the two families and

that in itself gives rise to innumerable prob- called her and asked her to come back. The lems. Pre-nuptial agreements, while valid in man refused, insisting that since his wife left India, are hardly ever used. Rajkotia has had home of her own accord, she must come back only one or two clients enquiring about pre- on her own as well. No one wanted to be the nups so far. Despite its practicality, people of- first to ‘admit defeat’. It was an impasse that ten view it as a sour way to start a marriage. had ego written all over it. “I found it so Most cases that Rajkotia sees are people di- strange that two educated people, with thrivvorcing in their 50s. No matter how bad the ing careers, could not get past their egos. She marriage, people tend to wait for their chil- gave up in seven days, and he couldn’t bring dren to grow up and be ‘settled’ before calling himself to take that first step.” their life their own. A lot of it has to do with Trouble, however, comes in all shapes and stressful lives in nuclear families, where the melodramatic sizes. Raman remembers how a burden to make money, raise wholesome, young once approached herThe for an annulskills toman teach inmates in the jail.

Collector healthy kids and live an envy-inducing life- ment right after the wedding. a typbelieved that would be a greatTheirs routewas for them style takes its toll. The minute the kids are out ical Tam-Brahm arranged marriage — or so he to change,” he says.

He took along his toolbox of the house, the couple lands up at the law- thought, until after thevery engagement, and headed to the jail the next day for the his yer’s. “Sometimes, I also see the bad side of groom-to-be received an email him first class with 14 students, all ofwarning them underthis postponement of individual freedom. Af- about his fiancée.

She, the maillinks. claimed, trials accused of having Maoist Todaywas he ter the divorce, a lot of people go on to live tying the knot appease her parents and prehas more thanto350 students, including many these very bizarre hedonistic lifestyles, where paring to run away soon after.

When confrontwith a livelihood they owe to him.

“They really they are completely switched off from any ed, denied allare such accusations tookthe togirl it. The Gond great learners and andin it kind of responsibility. So much so that they adidn’t scenetake straight of than a Kollywood script, them out more a few weeks to aren’t even accessible to family and old dragged him to the lit camphor produce good art.

A pooja few of room, them now make a friends,” she says. on herfrom bare palm andcalligraphy swore to him that it was living wooden and have, in Rajkotia’s husband passed all a lie,ina their fabrication. turn, taught others village.”Convinced, away when she was only 36, and he ignored and He is now preparing forfurther his nextemails big project she has spent three decades imwedding went ahead as — a trainingthe centre near Anthagad, about mumersed in the muddy matters of planned.

Minutes before 90km from Kanker.

“The problem withthe Bastar For all the variables, he got athe call from the an marital bitterness, but she is still is that if youhurtham, are supporting police, there’s but one kill anonymous warning a proponent of the institution.

Maoists you and if number you support the constant —Maoists, there is the police him again of her he “Of course, my children somekill you.

Theflight. tribal But people no perfect marriage went ahead anyway, to times tell me that I am only full are sandwiched with no way out,” hemostly says, addthechange, embarrassment. of cautionary tales about maring fervently,avoid “Art can and changeUnfor riage,” she says. Good marriages the better.” like in masala films though, hapever the afters cangovernment be hard to eventually settle into a certain His wish pily is that state come by. In love with a man from cynical but comfortable co-existshould buy the artworks made by the inmates different girl, whosethereby father threatence, people just don’t know this is what they aand displaycaste, thesethe in its offices, encoutothem kill himself if shemore married should expect. “Romantic love,” Rajkotia says, ened raging to produce andoutside make aher livto the wedding, only to “after 25 years can be rather exhausting. Who caste, ing outagreed of it. “That waysham they won’t be forced Life of that?!” art Ajay Mandavi kamal narang leave her newfor husband needs take up arms one sideinorthe thelurch. other.”But did his friend after hearing about their innovative the blame lie squarely at the door of the girl?

Chennai Not all such stories must end on a bitter arasu idea for a brick kiln. “He asked us to use our sibi note though, proving — even if in curious ways “She gave up in seven days” — that sometimes love conquers all. Raman reIn 15 years of her career, lawyer Dharma Ra- calls one such couple in their mid-40s, who man has found herself more inclined to take fell in love, defied their parents, got married up divorce cases — cases with a human side. and raised two teenage girls together. The And there has never been a dull moment. “It’s man came to her one day, distraught after his fascinating how different people react to the wife filed for divorce, accusing him of sexual same situations,” she says. But for all the varia- abuse. According to him, his wife had fallen inbles, says Raman, there’s but one constant — to bad company and had started neglecting “There is no perfect marriage.” her family, choosing instead to go out drinkEvery relationship needs time, and those ing and partying. She had even had a couple of willing to give it that time and effort are the boyfriends. He said she was a changed person. ones who make work a—recreation “It’s that simple”. proved to be not it merely but also But he refused to divorce andgrading) insisted (editing, finalising soundhis andwife, colour “Marriage as for a concept today. that life changing many ofhas its changed players coming wasa only tookshe about week.led astray by her friends and Whether it’s a love or arranged marriage, It marfrom underprivileged backgrounds. is alcohol. Fighting a battle in court for a couple riage changes and your equations change among the fiveyou, winners at the Sundance Film of years, allowing his wife towas move out while You’re from Bengaluru, what your after marriage.

I have seen couples whoshorthave he Festival’s Short Film Challenge this year, looked after the kids, that her impression of Elliot’s Beachconvinced and the Frisbee fallen in love, dated for seven listed from a pool of 1,387 filmsyears from or 89 more, coun- boyfriends were mere distractions, and that scene in Chennai? who to 27, get married.

But within tries.couldn’t Bharat wait Mirle, who co-directed thea the drinking partying was temporary, the It’s crazy!

Theand beach is bustling with not only year theuswedding, they’re at making court, seeking film, of tells what spurred the of this man took a long agreeplaying to a divorce by Frisbee teams, buttime alsoto people all sorts divorce by mutual consent.

It makes you won- mutual documentary and what’s next.

Evenfootball then he said he knew of sportsconsent. (rugby and included).

I had der how couples like our parents, who barely she would backFrisbee to him some day. When heard of come Ultimate through some knew each otherforbeforehand, managed How did the idea this short film come to he saw her in court, herbut haggard appearance — friends from the US, had no idea it had make about?it last for decades,” says Raman. after-effects, of a long night out — caught on likeperhaps, this in India.

Recounting a recent case, where a couple would have him worrying. “That was a kind of Aravind Iyer, my co-director, is an Ultimate met and decided to with get married, but the girl love, player and practises the Bengaluru-based I had never seen before,” says Raman, “at Which are the other film projects you’ve been walked out on herWhen husband week, Ra- least team Airbenders. onewithin of our aproducers notwith? from a man. In fact, the entire epiinvolved man’s is decidedly camea sode told ustone about Sundance,cautionary. we decided“She to make reminded ofdocumentary the women from 40 175 Grams is the me third film I’ve to meonwith father.

Young and well-educatfilm the her sport.

Aravind and Sudhanva, one years ago, as their husworked on.who Last silently year, wewatched made a documentary ed, she business was determined to in end the marriage. of my partners Yogensha, knewI bands set upinhomes with was theirabout mistresses, called Lapses Time, which a conasked her, isn’t onemembers week tooand littlewe to reached give up convinced the Fly!Wild team they would someday to temporarythat photographer, Kashyap return Thimaraon man?

But sheour wasidea. insistent… She told me their outato them with legally wife.” But the man’s ju, who uses wedded a photographic process that conwas that her husband was simply not interested in viction not entirely A year popularwas in the 1850s — the unfounded. wet plate collodion her.

She felt like great a glorified caretaker.

There are some playing shots inShe thesaid film.I and a half divorce, the short couple recprocess.

Weafter havetheir made two other films, wash his clothes, I cook for himto and I go in to bed onciled, How well did the players adapt being mending the cracks that had once Junction and Damned. with all there is to it.” When no seemed irreparable. front him, of thethat’s camera? amount of dissuasion worked, Raman helped What’s The Frisbee team seemed quite comfortable Whether freedom from a bad marriage nextit’s on your plate? her client file for divorce by mutual consent. being on camera right from the start.

They or rebuilding a more broken home, We have a couple short filmssometimes, in the pipeBut months before hearing, thethey’d hus- happy weresix really excited to bethe a part of it and endings are made court,for notaheaven. line and I am working onin a script feature band his effort mind.to Hedive would make changed a conscious andkeep play callin a film. The idea is to produce a lot more work venugopal (Mumbai and Delhi), ing her and to convince his veena manner that entreating looked goodher — hence the goodand learn a lot more. wife to give their The Shreevatsa Nevatia (Kolkata) and elizabeth looking shots.

Wemarriage shot foranother a little shot. over two (Chennai) sibi arasu girl shethe would only considerprocess it if he mathew days,decided and then post-production

In strife-torn Chhattisgarh, Gond artist Ajay Mandavi is inspiring undertrials to drop the gun and pick up the chisel to learn wood calligraphy

“I

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The whizz kids

An award-winning documentary captures Chennai’s passionate love affair with Ultimate Frisbee and the game’s many heroes who have risen from humble backgrounds

U

ltimate Frisbee, one of the many innovations of ’60s America, has some of its most dedicated players and supporters here in India, especially in Chennai. The city boasts the most number of teams in the country — all of seven.

Its ever-accessible beaches are a prime reason for this, as Ultimate Frisbee is designed to be played on the sands.

Now there is a documentary, 175 Grams, charting the sport’s decade-old love affair with this coastal city, with a special focus on one of its more successful teams, Fly!Wild.

Made by Bengaluru-based Yogensha Productions, the film shows how the game has

Dharma Flying saucers 175 Grams documents howRaman Ultimate Frisbee is more than fun in the sand

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saturday, february 14,14, 2015 saturday, february 2015

READER’S DIE JEST

Shrio and Zoobi

Please mind G the gap Q

A roast of It Happens for a Reason, because that is the easiest way to spare you readers

arunava sinha

ood morning, ladies, gentlemen, and dogs. Especially dogs. Who know it’s better to commit suicide than to be part of an insipid story of a woman who lets her life slide into despair because she had to have a child at 17 — faulty condoms! — after which the father, unbelievably, disappeared.

So, let’s put our paws together for Shiro and Zoobi, the greatest lovers of art ever, for willingly consuming poisoned meat and dying instead of being fawned over in this sorry saccharine saga. If we hadn’t been so well-bred to begin with, we’d have bitten all the characters in this novel and given them rabies, so that you readers could have been spared.

As for you, Vipasha, did your mother mortgage your brains to fund your five-star birth, or did you do it yourself at boarding school for lipstick? Everyone has a crush at 17, unless you’re so fat that your crush kills the boy you’re drooling over. Some get pregnant. A few the babies. no man’s even keep ntheir Butland whowhere breakslove up ends—and begins, stands with the father sonacrimony of a rich man — without the divorce PrivyNGOs to alltake the taking any money fromlawyer. him? Even dysfunctions entailed the realdonations from corporations thatinchoose to ity of happily screw them. ever-afters, these professionals help separate the financial threads amid And that modelling career.

Why didemoyou tional distress and drama.

Even of though digive it up?

You were on the cover Glamour. vorcepeople rates in are among therecognised lowest in Two in India this novel actually the world, it is aYou fast-growing In Mumyou afterwards. could haveniche. gone back to it. bai, Kolkata, and Chennai, leading diThey’re doingDelhi a lot of commercials with cluevorce lawyers are women seeing the number of clients less middle-aged in them. almost doubling everyfor year.

BLink meetsdogs. four And this boarding rich people’s of them hear theFactor stories have tell.

That’s us.toThis Paw of they yours.

Youto run it Oh, and Happy Day! with onehey, old man toValentine’s look after all of us? He’s so

ancient and blind that half the days he feeds he ever knew her. the bushes in the garden instead of us.

But you, Aryan. You got all excited when you This Jamu kaka, can’t he cook anything else found out your father was a DJ. And you made for us? The same meat and vegetables every him come to India. You wanted his dollars, day. But then that’s just like your life, Vee. The didn’t you? And your mom brought you up as same thing, day in and day out. And no, we such a loser you were even willing to settle for aren’t talking about that. Because you aren’t Australian dollars. getting any, are you?

Ankush and Vipasha. Vipasha and Ankush.

Ankush. You’re the guy who got her preg- No, Modi sir did not say ‘make out in India’. It nant. And got her into modwas not your patriotic duty to sleep elling. Who are you, Tinder with each other after 17 years when and naukri.com rolled into you thought your son had been one? And then your son gets washed away in a flash flood in UttaThe last time anyone in touch with you after all rakhand. What were you thinking? behaved that way on those years, and immediateThat your faked orgasms would unseeing a son he had ly you’re going weak at the drown your son? Didn’t you know knees. The last time anyone fathered long ago, his the heroine’s children never die in name was ND Tiwari behaved that way on seeing saccharine romances? Oh, I forgot, a son he had fathered long between the two of you the only ago, his name was ND Tiwari. book you’d ever read was Facebook.

You, Aryan. First, son, we And this storyline. Full of surpriscan’t blame you. We liked es. Like the one you get when you see as well run around for her divorce, she kept Mumbai with you. And when you felt you had the playing sunas rising every morning.

If this novel had at it and eventually the drowned Bar examinto reach out to your father, we thought maybe been any deeper youcleared could have an “Wecouldn’t are not vibing” ation. is one of Mumbai’s leading you stand being with your mother ant inToday, it. Allshe right, maybe not drown, butdiit Vandana Shah wascouldn’t thrownstand out of her with hus- would vorce lawyers. anymore.

Hell, we being at least have had to hold its breath. band’s home anymore. with the clothes on her back and “A lotyou of people to me and tell they your mother Now know, come dogs and ladies andme gentle₹750 in did the she bank the next few men, were unhappy onecommitted of their marriage.

What doaccount. all day atOver that gym anyway, why Shirofrom and day Zoobi suicide years, sheher fought an extended divorce I find that impossible. think if it paid a fourth of what she earnedbattle. from rather thanrather live through this. Usually, Heaven Iknows love changes in about four orLuckily five of our the By year three litigation, she began no- we’d boring us to of thethe point of suicide at PawtoFachave joined themyear willingly. tice Who discrepancies and lapses her owners marriage.

Theuskids have often arrived by then tor? would look at her evencreep with into a sculpttook away.

It happens for a reason. lawyer’s one to which priorities The difficult part ofa ed body work. if sheShe waspointed going to beout, so sorry for and (This monthlychange. column helps you talk about her lawyer theso lawyer here,that not book marriage, in ahaving way, istonegotiating herself all said, the “Well, time? I’m She’s pathetic without read it.) this new noryou.” So she’d just be a had lawyer. when sheShah camedecided on to our vet, who only As- mal. Roughly, about halfway down the marsinhalove translates and contemporary riage is when startsclassic ending,” says Shah.

She enrolled for a degree, and though took arunava perger’s Syndrome when he met her, heitdevelfiction andsharp-witted, non-fiction intothere Englisht muchearly longer because she had he to earn living Bengali Chatty and are@arunava no short oped Alzheimer’s so that coulda forget

With over 50,000 divorce cases in court, the Indian marriage is no coy, virginal bride. On Valentine’s Day, BLink lends a ear to divorce lawyers in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai

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It Happens for a Reason Preeti Shenoy Westland Books ₹200

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saturday, february 14,14, 2015 saturday, february 2015

An anti-celebration

says, are least likely to get divorced — “They are very business-like about marriage.” Increasingly, she sees a lot of south Indians heading for the family courts. This is especially true in the demographic that works at IT companies, travels abroad often and for extended periods.

They have the financial independence for it and are not hesitant to exercise the option of divorce. Among Punjabis, it often comes down to money. Living in joint families and troubles with the mother-in-law are common triggers for divorce in this community. her own beside Overall her downright babythough,demonic, as more womeating and en blood-drinking crime-lord find financial freedom, husthe band Pashupati, controllless subtly likely affecting they are and to stay in a ing their family’s wealth and power.

Aptly, she troubled marriage.

“Validation — is the “witch”both to Pashupati’s There is intellectual “ogre”. and physical — From 30 matters Anguli’s who turns to beGofar is very important forout women. (parts of a case) a day“godmother,” important she appears.

There isThe Niing than to office is a validation. in 2001 to 80more in 2015 rip’s half-sister Magnum, unwanted way you lookan and the way daughyou in— it’s almost a 300 ter who longs to with live as a man, but can’t teract co-workers and busiper cent jump coherently articulate her gender dysphoria ness associates is a validation. within a viciously misogynistic (and You feel good aboutfamily yourself — country, and appreciated world), becoming butt end of and the desired.

Then a cruel joke played by the universe.

This is as you come back home to a man muchhis a novel of these and mum,about whothe aresurvival only critical ofwomyou. en in anare overwhelmingly as it is Women saying I’m doneevil withworld this bullshit, about the apathetic blundering of its men.

I’m getting out of here,” Shah says.

If all thisall makes sound niDespite this, Chatterjee’s India is stillnovel a long way off hilistic, it’s because it is.

But cheap, or from notching Western divorce rates ofeasy 50 per shallow it isn’t.

Themarriage novel is flush with the vicent.

As long as our mantra is ‘kindly brancy of even when it laments its inevitaadjust’, it’lllife last.

Shah herself gets trolled on soble decline intois“the aches pains of age”. cial media, and often toldand off for ‘encouragThis divorce. is a fableDivorce about the slow corruption of heing’ was a game changer for donism into decadence.

Fairy Tales of reads like her — it changed the entire course her life, one long orgy her — the waning days — ofto anremove Indian and has given a new mission Vandana Shah empire thatassociated never was, where pleasure-seekthe stigma with it. But despite the ing is reserved thedivorce privileged, powerbitterness of herfor own and the all the dysful, and the amoral, areto, inevitably functional marriages shewho is privy Shah isn’t conversations with Shah. Even as she was en- are in the negative, her advice is to separate disillusioned criminals. Buried in the are any number about thenovel institution.

In fact, during her own prolonged court case (the fic- and work out a financial arrangement. If not, she’ll of hypothetical pleasure has soon give it reasons a second why chance. tionalised account of which, The Ex-Files, was she asks to proceed with the divorce, and try been hijacked by the violent — from cultural published by Penguin in December), Shah set and keep it simple and amicable.

Kolkata propriety to the concept of money. In short — up a support group for people grappling with Shah has recorded a significant increase in by civilisation. Nirip sees this, arguing that “Marital life is short, marital strife the end of their marriages. This, she says, the number of divorces. In 2001, when she “money was crucial to solving the riddle of the long” helps her stay empathetic and non-judgemen- spent time in courts chasing her own divorce, is point of the universe because without it… eva disarming chuckle, 84-year-old Sambtal about people and their problems. Yet, Shah there were about 30 matters (parts of a case) a With erything — all speculation — fell flat… the Nath claims that age has not afis still shocked by the amount of abuse some day. In 2015, that number is 80 — a near 300 per hu good life Mukerjee cost money.” his alacrity.

The senior lawyer still likes people are willing to take, simply because get- cent jump. More men initiate divorce proceed- fected Chatterjee’s magic-realist exaggerations, to everyone court every but heinto admits that ting out of a marriage is so fraught with uncer- ings, in Shah’s experience, since they largely going turning in day, his novel fairytale real intent oftentoo only “meet old tainty and societal criticism. monsters, neverisstray far tofrom reality. control the purse strings and society does not his friends and make some new ones”.these Such monluxu“A friend’s sister, for example, had what we judge them too poorly, unlike women.

What’s disturbing is how familiar usually available only to all thought was the ultimate love marriage. sters he areinsists, — theseare hateful bigots and voracious In Mumbai’s melting pot, Shah also observ- ries, in the“Even legal in profession. doctor, for inShe was very bright, a topper in academics, es some regional tendencies. Gujaratis, she those capitalists. lives that “A have the quality and we all thought he was a super romantic of a fairy tale, human beings change with the guy. But soon after the wedding, he turned aches and pains of age, with the sense of fail50, not out the abyss abusive.

SoUpamanyu much soChatterjee that notgazes onlyinto would he in Fairy Tales at Fifty shanker chakravarty ure and futility that time always engenders,” bring his girlfriends home, he would ask her writes Chatterjee. Perhaps, this is to be celeto cook for them! She stayed in this marriage brated. Even monsters die, and rotten empires his latest Talesthrough at Fifty, she Up- failing to murder the Buddha) revels in evil, crumble to be reborn. We wait for Anguli or for 25nyears, even novel, thoughFairy halfway amanyu Chatterjee confi-a killing to seek joy and power in a life hung out Nirip — the rural working-class bogeyman and started working and was displays earning the ₹5 lakh dence of awhen writer by eye the to dry on a low rung of Indian society. Nirip the repugnant, bored one-percenter — to month.

Finally, he undaunted dislodged her inexplicability the world. Middle-aged socket, her sister andofbrother-in-law urged her lives large off the spoils of evil, while renounc- change, be redeemed, but they’re already lost. andleave perhaps Chatterjee in ing it in his apathetic day-to-day life. Both are to him.world-weary, I had reconnected withrevels her on And yet, there’s an ecstasy to Chatterjee’s the pandemonium of told modern India it complicit in the chaos that Facebook by then and her that theaslaw opulent prose and grand set-pieclimps towards future, having born in populates their nightmarish and the police the were on her side. been It’s amazing es, which roll over this nightmare strifemuch and blood.

This is a book that gleefully how she was willing to live with and to version of India (heightened, and absorb every scent and texgazesend!” into the what sheabyss, says. knowing that what gazes but hardly far from real headture like a wave of honey. Even What’s disturbing is back just a reflection.

As the serial killer AnTheis other phenomenon Shah observes is lines), and both are entwined though his characters are awful how familiar these guli observes at married 50, pondering what it might among recently 20-somethings.

They in each other’s fortunes. An apt people, there is in them a longing be like to her be destroyed by the ghostsreasons of his metaphor for the cyclical vio- monsters are — these for joy they cannot find — the senapproach with all kinds of trivial hateful bigots and many murder victims: “Howboy could anytodarkfor divorce.

One 24-year-old came her lence engendered by inequalisual pleasures of human experivoracious capitalists ness that theyhe revealed more his profound office and said wants tobedivorce wife of ty, but in Chatterjee’s hands, ence: food, sex, drugs. They have it thanyears the blackness within him.vibing”.

It was “I everytwo because “we are not was not an academic one. The suball, taking it by force, but they where, inwell, everythat’s heart every life… just texts in the novel resonate unthinking, notand going to be enough can’t enjoy it, because in their der layers of blackly comic blackness thesays. core of creation.” for a brief,”atshe world carnality is repressed, stigIn Fairy Chatterjee traceswho the first livesapof gore, drugs, incest, kink and soap-operatic matised and commodified into the cyclical viShah hasTales, a checklist for people identicalher, twins Anguli and Nirip,The while also ex- plotting, ensuring that Fairy Tales remains olence of Darwinian capitalism. proach especially women. first quesploring their gnarled, blood-soaked tion is, are you financially stable? If you family aren’t, thoroughly entertaining throughout. It feels But we can enjoy Chatterjee’s roiling antitrees.areSeparated at birth, grows you going to have to goAnguli crawling back, up so in its grotesqueness like a David Lynch film set celebration of the sensory chaos in a fallen poor, hard a “pauper”, and grows up privithink about it.

TheNirip second question is if in India. world, distilled into prose and opera, comedy Though Anguli and Nirip anchor the novel, and tragedy — a monstrous fairytale that releged and of a the kids arewealthy, on yourthe side.would-be The third,scion and very familial criminal — a you “prince”. significant query,empire is whether feel you have the women in their lives provide a vital narra- spects the darkness of the real world. (who names himselfto after folkloric theAnguli strength and the courage takea on socie- tive counterweight. There is Nirip’s mother isn’t his real mother)shreevatsa Manasa, who holds indrapramit das is the author of The Devourers killer, who found redemption and (who ty’s backlash.

If the answers to after thesetrying questions Sambhu Nath Mukerjee nevatia

Like a David Lynch film set in India, Upamanyu Chatterjee’s latest book is a monstrous fairytale that respects the darkness of the real world

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Fairy Tales at Fifty Upamanyu Chatterjee Fourth Estate Fiction ₹599

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Even when speaking casually, Shukla’s words retain their characteristic resonance that we know from the pages of his half-a-dozBAWDY LINE en poetry collections, with almost a decadelong gap between each of them. Considered among the last of the greats in modern Hindi poetry, Shukla is a novelist and short story writer of equal distinction. And being a poetnovelist is another feat that has few parallels in literature. (Boris Pasternak, a poet who wrote one great novel, comes to mind; as does DH Lawrence, a novelist who wrote more than a few great poems.)

“When I am not able to write poetry for a long time, I start writing prose,” Shukla said.

“And then, in the of and writing I hapuranas.

Miracles aremiddle the warp woofprose, of startofdiscovering poems.

Writing prose is a the lives Hindu Gods, an absolute banality formscriptures. of excavation, becausesaints poetry is found in Hindu As regards living in in the depths thought,” he said. may be the clear light ofofhistory, the following His first novel, Ki Kameez cited: Dnyaneshwar andNaukar the flying wall, the(The di- SerShirt, 1979), was adapted for theMascreen vine vant’s assignments of the infant Chaitanya by filmmaker Mani Kaul, 20Sai years after publihaprabhu, Akkalkot Maharaj, Baba, etc. cation.etItalwas lastdon’t year that Dabholkar (inonly the bill) raisehis the1996 epis-novel Khilega question Toh Dekhenge It business Flowers) was temological or get(Once into the made available in English.

Mostmake recently, of adjudicating miracles.

That would it a couple of poems Shukla (inone Mehrotra’s deeply problematic.

Theby only way that can haveempirical been published judgetranslation) between two claimsinisthe

by British magazine Granta.

It degree may be to that this late weighing the evidence.

The which exposure the Anglophone world has earned we believe onetoclaim over another is proporShukla’s writings dubious tag of ‘magic-retional to the degree bythe which the evidence for alism’. His the Wikipedia page the website one outweighs evidence for and the other.

The of hisofEnglish publisher, HarperCollins, weight evidence is a function of such fac-both make ludicrous claimand thatnumber his workof“bortors as the the reliability, manner, ders onThe magic-realism”. witnesses.

Salem witchcraft trial, for inIt Flowers is a strange and wonderfully stance, Once had much stronger evidence favouring accomplished masterpiece in What which,Dabaccordit than the resurrection of Christ.

Leading the flock A procession of Varkaris on their way to the Vithoba temple in Pandharpur ing law to the translator, Satti “the reader holkar’s seemingly does in Khanna, the matter is to n the kerb of the Omkareshwar 2) Claiming to make miracles and defraud- render can’t the ‘real’... from prior the ‘dream’” But, in all tell miracles performed to August Imaginations run wild Vinod writes of the real and the metaphysical with bridge near Shanivar Peth,Kumar Pune,Shuklaing or terrorising people. stark(the contrast magic-realist convention, 26, 2013, day thetoordinance was signed), literature festival equal ease August 20,jaipur 2013, 7.30am.

Bent over 3) Carrying out or encouraging acts that en- exempt there’s unreal, indeed magical, fromnothing arraignment.

Theorlaw effectively slightly, prostrate in all his vulgari- danger life or cause grievous injury in order to aversabout theage dreamlike aspects of the novel — that the of miracles is firmly in our ty, quiet, like a sleeping beggar, not like some- gain supernatural blessing. dreams of conjuring. the insecurities past.these We are now inare theborn age of The of one who had floundered and flailed before his 4) Carrying out or encouraging inhuman propagation characters with theirpooja difficult realities. of stuck Satyanarayan’s is therelast guttering splutters, ruched red blood acts or human sacrifice in quest of some boun- fore not For ainstance, we hearRam in this novel about a criminal offence.

Rahim Insan’s spreading under him: the only mentionable ty or reward. replicacapers of a gun may or may not (Derawooden Sacha Sauda) are that punishable. alumnus of my alma mater, Government Med5) Creating the impression that a person has be firing bulletsthat eachI first timelearnt its owner, It was from real Dabholkar of a ical College, Miraj (Sangli district, Maharash- supernatural powers and compelling people the whole watchman, shouts outthat ‘bang!’; the watchman passage (the one has been comtra), shot once in the head, twice in the chest, to follow his/her orders. gets so terrified that he has toform burn—the weappletely perverted by its truncated - the both obviously his peccant parts. Punished 6) Claiming to invoke ghosts, creating the opium on.ofInthe Shukla’s work, the dream the reality. masses) from Marx thatisappears publicly for teaching children the seaminess impression of possession, preventing the per- in his Contribution Entrants to to Hindi literature quicklyPhirealise the Critique of Hegel’s of miracles. For telling the great unwashed son from seeking medical treatment, and losophy thatofthe poets and criticsdistress in this domain Right: “Religious is at the— unand unlettered lower orders of Maharashtra, compelling him/her to inhuman acts. their writing samelike time the empiricist expression counterparts of real distress and in in their own language, with much levity and For something that was alEnglish — aren’t using real abstractions also the scared protestofagainst dismirth, about Occam’s razor and David Hume ways billed as the anti-superstifor poetic effect.

They is letthe imaginations tress.

Religion sigh of the run and Article 51A (h) of the Indian Constitution. tion bill, the Act has no mention wild, sometimes aiming to disorient theofreadoppressed creature, the heart And telling the varkaris of Pandharpur, the de- of the word superstition. The er.

This quality is more pronounced in a heartless world, just as it is theShukThe Act has no votees of Vithoba, that empirical claims must Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and la’s work thanof perhaps else’s. spirit spiritlessanyone conditions.

It The mention of the word often discover poetsBut writing more enriching Nabobe substantiated by eempirical evidence. the Sanatan Sanstha experience. continue Vladimir poet’s imagination absorbs the real (the hills is the opium of the people. superstition wasn’t beingabout entirely in languagesinunfamiliar most of all, for the authorship, 2003, of ato us, theirkov spells of ranting howfacetious when he and trees and birds of Chhattisgarh, where “To abolish religion as the illustated if you can’t read through the medium of a lanproposed law on superstition. the bill wasthat practically rigged to Gogol in Russian, Shukla lives) with as much ease as it is does sory happiness of the people to the guage unfamiliar youHindu shouldn’t botherDabholreading him at all. While metaphysical Narendra Dabholkar’s children, Muktato andthem. trap the religion. (thetheir sun descending with the demand real happiness.

I wouldn’t to borrow this Nabokovian hy- west) orThe Theafter reader, no matter deeply Hamid, lighting their how father’s pyreconnected in a kar and Shyam like Manav, the chief even the astronomical (Shukla has demand to give up illusions to thesecular translated text, is far removed perbole inbill, relation Shukla’s serves wordless service, proceeded to from the the authors of the haveto always hadpoetry, a senseitof written, for instance, anddeabout about the existing state ofabout affairsMars is the well to emphasise theof uniqueness of an averoriginal poetic voice, and theasked poetsre-themwaiting TV crews, where they were the fantastic forcefulness opinion ranged orbiting Soyuz spacecraft). mand to give the up aEarth statein ofthe affairs which needs ageitHindi sentence composed by selves never be sure of what being conpeatedly tocan platitudinise about their is father’s against and they had responded

by Shukla. stating CritEverything a writer writes, Shukla says, illusions.

The criticism of religion is therefore veyed in their name. Let’s not forget that only ics bill saydoes of his work that anor religion, in embryo the criticism life and about the contentious bill still sitting that the not mention God should of bethe considered partthe of one vale of tears, informed can instantly practices. halo of which is whole the reader can bridge thisofdivide, by traversin abeyance.

Within 28 hours Dabholkar’s and that it onlyreader targets fraudulent work. “Doosri kavita darasal religion. ing the through thickets ofapproved one language whether a given sequencewill tell us slaying, statethe government thatto reNow,tell even a cursory examination haiimaginary (The poemflowthat fol“Criticism hasvohi tornkavita up the of words hasdoctrines emergedoffrom the other. Introduced Those whoonare committed bill asach an ordinance.

December that the principal most religions ers from the chain lows the same poem notissoactually that man shall wear In Shukla’s work, theinvolve pen of Vinod Kumarof Shukla enough to do so have twice the 11, 2013, the Maharashtra Prevention andpleasure Eradi- in would an assertion at least one of the unadorned, bleak that went past).” chain but so that he will the dream is the store for themSacrifice — the pleasures of Inhudiscovery not. And this, to be of sure, cation of Human and other the 12orclauses on the Schedule the Act (six of shake off the chain He has declared andpreviously pluck the living that reality of recognition. be said above), of manyparticularly poets in the one flower.” man,and Evilthat and Aghori Practices and Black themcan’t mentioned what’s left unsaid in one poem, he That’s what whenbyI first the poet world literature.

Magic Bill 2013 wasI felt passed bothread Houses on miracles.

If the miracle can be described as sayswasn’t in themeant next. to Shukla, Dabholkar’s bill pluckwho the has So in conversation with this: Vinod Kumar Shukla last of name is prowithin a week.

It is now, in (the the state Mahaa violation ofmy a law of nature, consider turned 78, admits thatthe his eyeliving flower. Butjust I shall ask you this: would Shukla, I first raised nounced ‘shook-l’,non-bailable without an ‘a’) in Hindi. rashtra, a cognisable, offence to I’d The Old Testament is the an subject agglutination of amputation of asight “changes non-regeneratevery two months”, non-diseased, earlier encountered his or poems excellently translation. doesminor the poet feel about commit, promote, propagate practise or aboutof67 major andWhat multiple miracles. and his heart is not as strong as it was.part But he is ing, functional, protective and erogenous read inT:a approximately language foreign him? Every into English

by Arvind Krishna causerendered to promote, propagate or practise hu-MehDittobeing for the New 37 to attribut“stretching” as he can.

Hisasreaders of the male penisas(inmuch a powerless child) a which meinhuman, more thanevil a glimpse has its limits, a will man rotra, sacrifice andgave other and of ed tolanguage Christ. The narration of he theresponded, Quran by Ji-and part glad tomade knowtothat his writing continof a be promise Abraham for a fuwriter must bear with as thea fact that his work Shukla’s extraordinary poetic vision. aghori practices and black magic such as: In ‘The bril farishta to Muhammad consummate and a book forwhole children also in the offture ues, occupation of the landis of Canaan may loseofits original tone and resonance Way theforced Sun was Going Down’ heor writes: 1) Assault, ingestion of urine stool, reproduction what was written in heaven. ing. These are surely attempts say what be punishable under thehis third clausetomendhwanitravel aur goonj”) the lin“The way thebranding, sun was going down/ where Muhammad’s it (“bhasha kimystic forced sexual acts, etc. on the preto the once seventh was left unsaid init? his previous pieces. But one tioned above?

Should guistic changes.

“Lekhan ki bhasha me hopes that whatever he says next, will remain wasexorcising going down/ In the sea, an the allegedly west was/ Gotext of ghosts from heaven on a medium steed called Al-Buraq. asatwik@gmail.com ing down with it, leaving/ No west for tomor- A profusion doosri jhalak ko bardaasht kiyaof ja the sakta possessed person. of miracles in each 18hai Ma-(Your just as incomplete. writing reflected in another language can be row’s sun to go down in.” vineet gill is a Delhi-based freelance writer Reading Shukla in Hindi was, naturally, a put up with),” he added.

The weight of evidence

In the ‘anti-superstition’ bill introduced in Maharashtra in 2013, Narendra Dabholkar et al don’t raise the epistemological question nor get into the business of adjudicating miracles

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Author of ellipsis

Among the last of the greats in modern Hindi poetry, Vinod Kumar Shukla on the importance of the incomplete and straddling poetry and prose

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Ambarish Satwik is a Delhi-based vascular surgeon and writer

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Mutton curry 1kg mutton, any cut will do, but without too much fat 3 medium onions, white, if possible 2 medium potatoes, peeled and halved 4 cloves of garlic, minced 1/2 inch of ginger, minced 1 green chilli 4 green cardamoms 1/2-inch piece of cinnamon 1 black cardamom, peeled 2 bay leaves 250gm curd Water Salt and sugar to taste Pinch of saffron Ghee to cook

1 Mix the curd into the mutton and season with salt; keep aside.

2 In a heavy pot (or pressure cooker), warm the ghee, then toss in the onions and fry until translucent.

Add the ginger, garlic and whole green chilli.

3 Add the whole garam masalas and toss for 30 seconds before adding the meat-and-curd mixture. Cook for 5 minutes.

4 Add the potatoes and give it a stir.

5 Pour enough water to cover the meat and toss in the bay leaves.

Cook until the meat is tender.

6 Once the meat is nearly done, soak the saffron in half a cup of water and add to theshutterstock/franz mutton. Bringpfluegl it to a final boil.

7 Add salt and sugar to taste. When your dish is ready, it should be slightly runny. Serve with rice.

Cop turns match-fixer Mutton of the matter courtesy kethari srivanjiam

BIKIFEEDIA

A former policeman’s relationship advisory service is based on the psychometric tests used to nab criminals

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Thirty years inpoliceman-turned-entrethe making, this bowl of meatStarting and or potatoes owesDelhi, its was spice toherBengal Italy social constraints. ending relationseeing boyfriendand for three years

bikramjit ray

Couple of questions Gaurav Sareen, CEO, Perfiniti

preneur is relying on a few tricks of his former tradeisto new what busiutton curry toply myhis family ness — a relationship a good Sunday roastadvisory is to the serEnvice that helpswas people find that the glish.

If there one thing right life partner ortable salvage exwas always on the on aanSunisting relationship onmutthe day afternoon, it would have to bebased a good psychometric tests ofotherwise ton curry with generous helpings rice. used nab criminals.

Growing up in to Kolkata in the ’70s, mutton fact, the corporate sectorconhas was more of In a luxury than an everyday for my a while deployed was thesealive, teststhe to sumable. Till grandmother the right recipe of thehire mutton currycandidate. stayed pretty stancyber-crime expert dard; instructed by Aher and produced byand the behavioural bawarchi. But after she passed away inspecial1980, it ist, and 42-year-old changed according to the whims fancies Gaurav Saof the bawarchis who came and went. reenin was inMy mother had very little interest cooktrigued by ing. But on one wet, rainy morning, I rememlarge ber clearly, after innumerable the complaints number of from the family — I think it was mainly my farelather’s gentle griping, as much as failed he could dare tionships he — she decided to enter the kitchen and cook observed what turned out to be a masterpiece of simaround him —a plicity. A mutton curry with a base of curd, it in Delhi surprising absence of spices andbea smattering or in faraway of onion, garlic and ginger.

Sydney, I would have loved to share the recipewhere with he worked you, but unfortunately I never really learntas it.aI for also suspect that my fondnesspoliceman for the dish had something to do with the factover that12ityears. was one “In deigned Australia, of those rare things that my mum to theI social struccook for us. One of the reasons entered the ture is different kitchen to cook was because there was no one from The else to do it for me in those odd,India’s. mid-afterwomen there noon hours after school, when the bawarchi experience was still on a break. At first —don’t and this story is theofsame kind of backed up by various members the family —

ships is not as difficult as it is in India. Yet, al- but was unsure about marrying him. “I took most 70 per cent of our work (in Sydney) was this test and the result showed that we were related to domestic problems,” says.

I concentrated completely on he my favourite complete I understood whywas I hesiMaharajasopposites. inspired me — my favourite Bi“When lack and compatvegetable, theof communication potato, and made copious tated much to marry him.

Wetoparted ryani so Khybari, which you have makeways and ibility is an inchips. a society where there is without amounts of issue potato At the time, I was any hard feelings,” she says. taste to believe. nothing holding still in the single people digits. back, imagine what it Interestingly, even long-married couples Yet, it is only now, three decades on that I’ve would in India, itsmutton unwritten tenets But Ibe digress.

Backwith to the curry.

We, are using to iron curout found whatpsychometric I consider theanalysis perfect mutton for heparochial adds. andmen hereand I amwomen,” being very and Benga- mutual differences the relationship. ry, at least for me. Itin was inspired by myRajesh mothreturn in mangsho.

2010, he explored li, On are his famed for to ourIndia kosha It’s dry, Gupta*, a corporate er’s version — tart andexecutive-turned-entresweet because of the the idea of devising a foolproof method for de- preneur, succulent, spicy, and the sauce is caramel going through a rough curd and was the onions, and the light spicepatch from termining theand compatibility between brown, thick sticks to your fingers, two the when his venture didn’t doalmost as welllike as expectthe whole garam masalas; a yakhpeople.

The resulteven was after Perfiniti, aromas lingering several hours and ni, but not quite. ed. TheThen excessive spentI outone time evening, was the Gurgaon-based numerous hand company washes. he Of side theTV, and home withouta watching came across founded 2013potato, whichthe ofcourse, it in hasJune to have commensurate returns dish from Sicily, financial lamb spezzatino, fers not only tools to help people vegetable that is the bedrock of began impact his married life.a cookedtowith mint, and with I understood why I zero in on a suitable partner but Bengali non-vegetarian recipes.

“When my wife told me about hint of saffron in it.

I don’t like I like theso potato hesitated muchinto also behavioural coaching.

It acts as a sponge, a repository kosha Perfiniti, exmint, so I reluctantly decided to agreed, marry my mangsho more him. We parted pecting a feewhich of ₹2,500, eachto couof For flavour, you retire af- marry the same old marriage mum’s ‘yakhni’ with spezzatino’s than the actual curry ways without any ple is put through psychometter consuming the amain act — in counsellor garbage.

Butthe ourrecipe comsaffron. Before I share hard feelings ric fromI am Finland’s thistest, case,licensed the mutton. only a patibility was interesting it though, I test must admit I don’t—go Extended havein tofact, anpartial fanDISC. of thisThey version; showed that measurements. while I am a riskby standard It’s swer with a I like 24 thesimple potatoquestions in kosha mangtaker, myfor wife is because a detail-oriented difficult me I am an ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Although theactual ques-curry. sho much more than the planner organiser.of what WhileI intuitive cook.

My dishand is a reflection tions veryI plain sim-and more that am feeling while As Iappear get older, realiseand more therecooking were other factorsistoo, this — which mostly ple ‘Dothe youact like at night?’isora‘Do for — me ofwatching cooking TV something la- was thebecause most important,” he says. The couple happy I am cooking. you a certain of for toothpaste?’ bourprefer of love.

I enjoybrand cooking a handfulfor of signed uprecipe for behavioural coaching Try the (above) of my versionclasses of safinstance — there is me an algorithm at work here and people and it gives great pleasure to bring it transformative.

“We fight lessdisas fron found mutton.

If you like lightly flavoured that measures personal traits curry, on a we together a dishvarious for them.

My mutton differences and hes have whichboth don’taccepted bite yourour head off, this one is scale 5 to plus 5. whichofIminus have made numerous times now, I made them strengths,” Rajesh says. definitely forour you.

Based onupon the report, couples—can opt for bestumbled only recently about a year Sareen is currently developing an app PS: There’s something I make with the(both lefthavioural coaching, cost up towith ₹30,000 ago, after 30 years ofwhich experimenting reci- desktop and for compatibiliovers that themobile puristsversions) may not approve of. But I depending onpatently the number of sessions. pes that were not my own. ty tests. undergo app-based test love it. IUsers take can pieces of thethe leftover mutton, In the year-and-a-half sincedecade its launch, the and It came to me after a good of trying analysis behavioustuffapproach them intohim idlisfor and mop it and all up with the company to perfect has the “grown Railway much Lamb faster Curry, than whichex-I ral coaching, if necessary. remaining curry. pected”, Sareen, although he declines to picked upsays from Jennifer Brennan’s Curries and (*Names have been changed on request.) share numbers.

Bugles.any Later, the recipes in Digvijaya Singh’s bikramjit ray is executive editor of BW Hotelier pratap t@bikramjitray Ratika Dutt*, abook public relations executive in rashmi most excellent Cooking Delights of the

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Cuban colours Last December, the streets of Havana woke up to the news of resumed diplomatic relations with the US for the first time since 1961 ap/ramon espinosa; (below) a woman sells Cuba’s best-known exports bloomberg/lisette poole

V for victory Arvind Kejriwal and AAP follow a bottom-up capitalism shanker chakravarty

AGENDA

The business of politics People’s island

The victory of AAP in Delhi should be reason for cheer for the Sensex and investors

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n Valentine’s Day, Delhi has official-

sambuddha mitra mustafi

This sudden crowd of political brands re-

lem with industry. There are several reasons,

The idea of ‘public space’ is old firmly enshrined Cuba,governments, the tiny Communist in the ly rekindled its affair with that sulted in an era ofin coalition led by Kejriwal’scorner crusade against Mukesh Amflame Arvind Kejriwal. India’s which also injected competition, but at times bani and what he alleges are corrupt power spectacular Caribbean that awaits a wave of change after 50 years stock markets are spooked, seeing became obstructive. In 2015, India’s political companies in Delhi. His love for subsidies and

it as a thumbs-down for Narendra Modi’s market-friendly reforms. The Sensex lost over he streets are full28, of before vintagerecoverAmeri1,000 points since January can cars, some Russian ing slightly.

But if you arerunning a seriouson long-term engines, everywhere you investor inLada India or evenand a free-market fundacolonial mentalist,look thereare is grand great reason to buildings. cheer the The city of Havana a repository Aam Aadmi Party’sisdramatic win.of Cuban history, byKejriwal buildings the PlaThebookmarked ‘Modi for PM, forsuch CM’as verdict is za dea Armas, Plaza de la Revolución, Museo de not split personality disorder that should la Revolución and the El Capitolio. jeopardise India’s reforms.

In fact,Havana Delhi Viehas ja, or Old is a Unesco Heritage voted for Havana, competition in the World free market of Site, thanks tohas its made architectural grandeur and politics.

Delhi space for another sellitsto many historical and cultural markers.

The er display his governance model, neutraliscity’sthe most vibrant street, Obispo, isoffilled with ing potential inefficiencies a Modi dozens of bars and restaurants, shopping cenmonopoly.

Now there will be more pressure tres, excellent nightlife livetomuon Modi to deliver.

Thereand willamazing be pressure resic.inOne of the streetshed has buildings the in theend Sangh Parivar, the vanityinsuits Cuban while at the other and getbaroque down tostyle, the job of improving theend life of Indians.

What’s striking is that most people — from the cab driver to the newspaper columnist who quotes the cab driver — have bought into the idea of policy competition over loyalty to any party or leader. This can only be a healthy sign for the expansion of market philosophy in India.

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Evolution of the political market From independence to 1991, a socialist India voted on ideology and in gratitude. The Congress and the Gandhi family reaped the rewards, creating a monopoly of sorts, which was only briefly broken in the mid-’70s. Only from the mid-’90s onwards did Indians begin to understand the benefits of competition in all markets. Just like we suddenly began consuming hundreds of cable channels and scores of cola options, we began consuming different brands of politics, built mostly around identities like caste and religion.

market has evolved from identity and ideolo- the socialist background of some of his comgy to governance issues like corruption and rades might put off investors. eclectic Art Nouveau dominates.

Here, you areas Manhattan), it is, like the rest of Cuba, the economy.

There is also a pushback against Butin look at the flip side: AAP’s manifesto also free from The people in find the world-famous El Floridita café and Ho- talks unwieldy coalition governments. aboutgentrification. ridding “the high cost ofliving complitelBoth Ambos Mundos, both legendary Ernest He- ance, Malecón’s grand colonial buildings, someand of Modi and Kejriwal saw this new politilicence-raj, lack of transparency” which area worse the wear now, are mingway hangouts, as well asonthe cal opportunity and capitalised thefinest Con- creating stable, for simple tax regime.

Allordithis daiquiri and mojito on earth. narygocitizens withwith rights over Also theseconsider spaces. gress’ decay to capture large swathes of the can down well industry.

For more mojito andused Bucanero, one ofeffecthe Kejriwal’s One evening, as but I sipped mojitosignificant at Café Nerupolitical market.

They the media crude politically reffinest to Cuban Malecóntoisthe the people. place toThe be. erence da, I watched wonderstruck as the busy street tively take beers, their product to being a bania who understands busiThis Delhi well-maintained promenade the ness was suddenly takensocialist over bywould the neighbourwily voter realised that both skirts Modi and — a traditional never use hoodline. teenagers for football sea. As the hot day cools locals needs, come out Kejriwal can satisfy their off, different na- that Delhi’s small tradersand seemalltoother have here toand fishlocal. or stroll with favourite drink kinds ofinsports andwith the the vehicular traffic was tional Like anytheir smart investor, the thrown their lot AAP, if you look at in hand.

Lovers are become aplenty, what with the sun how closed off.latter swept up seats like Karol Bagh Delhi voter did not a sellout for Modi, the Another day, I woke up in the morning to setting majestically into with the Caribbean sea but hedged his/her bets a and Chandni Chowk. overlooking the El investment Morro fort. in What’s unique discover that theInstreet ourvision B&B was “low-risk, localised termsinofwhich a grand for about Malecón isasthat unlike similar by the elderly for an opposition,” sociologist Di- prime ur- located was used economic growth, AAPlocals has one ban locations other parts of the world (say, morning exercises, with a couple blocks pankar Gupta in says. basic difference withofthe BJP: the Marine Drive in Mumbai or the Upper East ofclosed to vehicles. ideaisofbottom-up “public space”, AAP’sThe model capiIn terms a grand fast dying elsewhere in the world, seems firmCompeting models talism, that relies heavily on vision for economic lyhas enshrined this tiny Communist nation.

Arvind Kejriwal now has five “unleashing India’s entrepregrowth, AAP one in There is great pride energy” among the in years to prove the effectiveness of neurial byCubans helping basic difference with their revolution and the“honest socialist regime it his governance model in Delhi. If small and businesses”; the BJP ushered in. They do acknowledge chalhe succeeds, and if Modi does not whereas Modi’s modelthe is more lenges facing them too, but continue to maindeliver robust economic growth top-down, reliant on large intain a spiritvestments of equality, and by 2019, then there is a possibility and solidarity, mega-projects freedom. Luisthat Miguel, the owner of our B&B, that the anti-Modi vote may concreate jobs.

1932, financial expressedplayers it best in — “Fidel is our legsolidate around Kejriwal, nationally. So at this Casa Serious India should be end. Cuba that is a small country restage, investors should not worry about Kejri- delighted we now have with four very yearslittle of two sources, models but wecompeting survived with under wal spoiling their India party, but they should different eachFidel’s other leadership.

We one mayworks need better. to change, the ask if he has a grand economic vision and how to prove which Both but leaders idea of the given Revolution is sacred.”by the electodifferent is it from Modi’s. have been full mandates When I asked the poverty in the counThe Aam Aadmi Party’s manifesto claims its rate, so they are about unfettered from coalitions.

In try, heIndia said — “Ofhave course is some poverty. ideology is “neither Left nor Right and will 2019, may thethere chance to choose diBut webetween have a lot equality our society.

Evsupport every good idea, old or new, if it is in rectly theoftwo.

This isinthe kind of comeryone may not be eatingsellers a lobster every meal, the interest of India”. By virtue of not calling petitive bidding among in the political but no one here goes hungry.

And there areapno itself Left or even socialist, the AAP actually po- market that Adam Smith would have homeless sitions itself to the right of the Congress and proved of.people.”

Aracelly, a retired schoolteacher and the the Mandal parties. mitra is the founder of Triniowner of our B&B mustafi in the coastal city of But compared to Modi’s famous “business- sambuddha Indian t some_buddha dad,Political echoed a similar sentiment — “Cuban friendliness”, AAP does have an image prob- The

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Twelve years apart Former US President George Bush struts in a flight-suit across the deck of a US aircraft carrier afp/hector mata; (below) a Jordanian student holds a placard of pilot Muazz al-Kassasbeh in front of a poster showing King Abdullah II afp/khalil mazraawi

Travel log

emerge as the army led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi — alumnus of the US torture and detention centre at Get Camp Bucca in Iraq — notched up there one improbable after another.

With a victory valid passport and a British ‘tourist journalist Patrick Cockburn card’ (available with has, the in a recent book, argued “key and decisions that airline at thethat airport, valid for enabled al-Qaeda 90 days) to onesurvive can flyand intolater Cubato expand, were made in the hours immediately from anywhere except the US. Theafter 9/11”. Every trail the hijackers left and that day closest choices are Mexico led to Saudi Arabia. The official inquiry indeed other Caribbean islands (Bahamas, found that al-Qaeda was financed primarily by Dominican Republic), although a the Gulf countries and “particularly” Saudi good number of tourists fly out of Arabia. Far from demanding an explanation, Canada and European countries.

Bush facilitated “an exit of senior Saudis, including bin relatives” from US territory, GetLaden around when air Cuba traffic otherwise haswas excellent public paralysed.

“Most significant,” says Cockburn, transport, particularly bus “twentyeight pages of the 9/11 Commission services. The Viazul bus line isReport about the relationship between the attackers superb. There is also good taxi and Saudi Arabia were cut and never service throughout the country published”. and motorcycle rentals, which are STATES THAT MATTER “If you break it, you own it.” Just days before quite affordable. people have deep respect for the Revolution current head Raul Castro, has been promoting Bush launched his invasion of Iraq, Colin Poand our leaders. We have gone through chal- entrepreneurship, which has helped fulfil the well, thenStay US Secretary of State, warned him lenging times. But when you fight with your aspirations of the younger generation. about the Casa law Particulars of unintended consequences. or private Cuba is breathtakingly beautiful, full of fun, The chaotic heart, you never lose. So we survived, and aftermath war has no homestays areoftheBush’s best option and and the Cuban people’s spirit is contagious. owners, only things are much better now.” perhaps a surfeit of witch remewidely available across Cuba. The At a bar in Obispo, I ran into There are no skyscrapers or fancy dies that promise to worsen the disease. network of Casa Particulars will Andres, a graduate student at mansions in Cuba, but then The invasion led to an enormous accretion help you find accommodation in there isn’t a huge class difference to the strategic influence of Iran, till then kept the University of Havana, who any part of the country. in Cuban society. The equitable in check by Iraq’s Ba’ath regime. In the ensutakes great pride in the Cuban Currently, there are access to quality housing, public ing chaos,Eat education system and the exsectarian identities hardened and no flights between spaces and resources, and the Sunni Muslim change programme between his tribes mobilised to wage fullRelish the region’s delicious the US and Cuba university and several Latin lack of large income differences scale warseafood. against Cuban Shi’a dominance. lobsters are As as Syria American and African universiare unmatched. At the same erupted ingood civilas war in 2011, US allies and Cuban music. And do proxties. He expressed a special gratitime, the nation appears caught ies, notably Jordan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, indulge in the out-of-the-world in a time warp and in desperate stepped in, competing zealously to bring tude to the Cuban State for Cuban rum and cigar. need of resources to turn things around. providing free education to its citizens. down the Bashar al-Assad regime.

The US embargo on Cuba, following the RevThe Obama administration’s recent step toIS was nurtured within this rapidly expandtip olution, has deprived the country of many ba- wards lifting some of the sanctions on Cuba ing arena Cuba of political meltdown generous is a warm, tropicalbyisland.

So ordan’s King Abdullah was in the But US bara boon this end poor sic facilities, and poverty is noticeable. the comes others,”as said Bush: to “It will in island-nation. a way, and at a infusionspack fromaccordingly. the Gulf Non-Spanish potentates. With gaining for aid when he heard about the country desperately needs investments in promises speakers Cuban government has been innovative in The time, of our choosing.” of heightened US off aid,learning Jordan ahas are better grislythese deathchallenges. of combat pilot Muazz sectors of itsmetastasised economy and a steady intackling To meet the al-Kascoun- various As the GWOT now joined the fight few basic words/sentences inagainst that Negotiations for the Jordanian try’ssasbeh. food requirement, it promotes a modelpiof flow goods and services.

The recent underfromofthe pursuit of terrorist forces And, it has partially language. do been not expect yourrelot’s release had beenon underway since his between self-sufficiency based diversification of standing mastermind Osamathe bin Obama Laden, and Castro sponsible for creating.

Jordan smartphone or internet to keep is captureurban by the gardening, Islamic Stateincreased (IS) while organic flying a administrations crops, willweapons go a longof way in alleviatto Iraq’s phantom now assured of aid totalling $1 With promises of you connected at all times here. sortie over and Syrialocalisation on December 24.food A hostage weak agricultural and industrial agriculture of the econo- ing massCuba’s destruction, to something billion, or $150 per capita. Of this, heightened US aid, swapInseemed feasible till the of to al-Kasmy. recent years, it has alsovideo started ‘hy- sectors. willgame potentially more emakin to aThis video played create on some two-thirds could be viewed Jordan has now sasbeh’sits immolation came to light. bridise’ economy. As Miguel explained, the ployment opportunities andthe reduce outmi- ly, there are no andstate Curemote consoles, forces on as flights rewardbetween for beingthe anUS Arab joined the fight Abdullah reached into a familiar repertoire the Cuban What youth. Itwas will particularly ba. For non-Americans Cuentapropistas programme, started

by Fidel gration residing the and US, ground ofmutated. formally at peace within Israel, against forces it has of Wildin West for and a response.

Clint Castro themovies early ’90s reinforced byEastthe boost the country’s tourism industry.

Current- travel to Cubathe is possible only through a third imagined to be a small band of rest as incentive for taking on been partially wood seemed just right, with his 1992 film Un- terrorists under al-Qaeda francountry (I travelled the IS. via Mexico). Under the responsible forgiven, set in a time when frontier justice chise became an army with a new policy initiative, suchIsrael restrictions will For its part, continues to for creating prevailed. Within hours, Jordan executed two spectrum of skills to handle batsoon be a thing of the the Cuban benefit frompast US and aid that could terrorism convicts, one of them an Iraqi wom- tlefield and guerrilla engageeconomy willrange be replenished. changing from $3.5-6 The billion a year, an, allegedly a failed suicide bomber from a se- ments. The US was being pulled relationship or will also$550 benefit the US,— which over per capita at the ries of attacks in the Jordanian capital in 2005. into a war without end. can now take advantage ofeach the of remarkable lower end — for its Jewish Abdullah arrived back in his country soon disaster management systems of Early suspicions about the IS being sus- medical citizens. and Despite its peace with Jordan, Israel after, heralded by an increased aid pledge tained by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Emir- its Communist neighbour.

Cuba’s fights on the other side of Moreover, the emerging refrom the US. As Jordan’s air force geared up for ates were met with elaborately simulated abundant tropical fruits now enter the gional conflagration.

Onwill January 19, Israel a series of bombing raids on IS operational outrage. The connections, though, began to large American market. bombed frontline positions in Syria, killing an bases, Abdullah had himself portrayed in the Even general as Cubans Americansof celebrate Iranian and and top personnel the Lebamedia in combat flight-suit, signalling he was this camaraderie between them, nese newfound Shi’a political party Hezbollah, then enpersonally in charge. they should also be mindful andfor respectful of gaged in logistical support al-Assad’s Abdullah’s display of military machismo each other’s differences. arethe aspects besieged army in its battleThere against IS. of stirred mixed memories. Early in his two-term Cuba areof quintessentially the As that enemy an enemy, theCaribbean: IS is Israel’s presidential tenure, as he launched the “globsun and beaches, that the dare musicnot and dance, friend — athe friendship speak its al war on terror” (GWOT), George Bush was and theThe fun-loving its people.

Typiname. al-Assad attitude dynasty, of despite all past faprone to invoking the vocabulary and spirit of cal of the Caribbean people on the vours rendered, is anregion, obstacle Israelare needs to the gunslinger from the Wild West. He had a streets late into the night — across walking, chatting, clear. While seeding chaos the region, brief moment of triumph, which he has since dancing andretreat drinking.

Yet, aCuba is special Israel is in behind security fence been desperate to live down: a bravura strut in when it acts comes its history, thealegacy the against of to resistance from peopleofheld a flight-suit across the deck of a US aircraft carRevolución, ways in which ordinary ciin captivity and for the generations.

Its Saudi allies rier, the backdrop emblazoned with a ‘Mission tizens cherish the revolution. rest have just contracted with the Unlike French the compaAccomplished’ banner. of Caribbean, are trying live nythe EADS — builderthe of Cubans Airbus planes — toto fence Twelve years on, it needs to be asked: what aoff different social history — the onecentenary that prioritises the border with Iraq. In years precisely has been accomplished between the equality, solidarity, and state anti-capitalist strugof World War I, the Arab system, a legacy two flight-suit moments? It all began at a megle overact anything else.perfidy called the Sykesof that of imperial morial service for the victims of 9/11, an occaAs Raul Castro put the US of should respect Picot agreement, is init,danger unravelling. sion for Bush to claim the legitimacy denied (and interfere with) the Cuban Thosenot authoring the chaos either sit political at a safe by a deeply contentious election outcome. The system sameprotection way Cubabehind does vis-à-vis distancethe or seek walls. its event, held at the National Cathedral in Washcapitalist and neoliberal neighbour. ¡Hasta la sukumarSiempre! muralidharan is a fellowalways!) at the Indian Victoria (Until victory, ington DC, saw the closest thing in recent Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla times to a proclamation of holy war. “This conmitul baruah is a PhD student in Syracuse, New York flict was begun on the timing and terms of

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Much has changed from George W Bush’s ‘mission accomplished’ moment to King Abdullah’s vow of vengeance — but not for the better

Capital contours Old Classic cars drive down the Paseo de Marti in front of Cuba’s National Capitol Building in Havana the new york times/meridith kohut; and (above) life as usual at one of the many crowded Havana neighbourhoods ap/ramon espinosa

sukumar muralidharan

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Size matters (left) A saw-scaled viper lies in wait for a prey divyaraj shah; and (below) a cottonmouth, usually found in or near waterbodies rachel moon

Trophy shot Young fans in Mumbai pose for a selfie with the ICC World Cup 2015 pti CREATURE FEATURE

their range, cottonmouths aren’t too picky about what they eat. I’ve even seen a cottonmouth scavenging on decomposed animal matter, which is unusual for a snake. But there are islands off the coast of Florida with thriving populations of cottonmouths that have a peculiar fondness for fish that fall from trees.

Given their unfussy appetite for almost any type of prey, I would have imagined that, finding themselves in the vicinity of bird nests, cottonmouths would show no hesitation in feeding upon birds’ eggs and small chicks. In most habitats, the cottonmouths would ining biology exactly to the prey available to it. deed gobble down this easy prey. But on the isThough vipers, including several speSeahorse Key, cottonmouths and icapped bymost its low popularity in many parts of land match,ofand fade away long before the coin is cies of saw-scaled feed primarily ver- nesting water-birds seem to have reached exan the world, notablyvipers, Europe, America andonmost tossed for the quarter-finals.

In a glorious tebrates, as lizards, frogs, birds andafter mice,a accord the cottonmouths ignore the birds’ of Asia. Insuch football, the best of 32 teams, ception,—Kenya made it to the semi-finals of other species of saw-scaled vipers have and edition, chicks, and feed almost exgruelling qualification system, fight it shifted out on eggs the 2003 but instead could not capitalise on to dietstage thatfor contains lots of invertebrate ar- clusively on dead regurgitated fish that fall theabig the FIFA World Cup. Most oththe feat, failing to or qualify this time. thropods — insects, spiders, scorpions and to Former the ground the adult birds feedSmith their er sports also have tough qualifying rounds SouthasAfrica captain Graeme their ilk. Of course, mice and scorpions arelike ve- young.

To facilitate their search this pecubetween several contenders, with some, says, “With no disrespect to theforsmaller nary different beasts,the buthost I would have imagined food cottonhockey, allowing an assured spot in liar tions, thesource, ICC is these tryingisland-dwelling to grow the game, exthat viper venom would be a one-size-fits-all mouths have developed sense of smell the line-up. pose them to top teams ina events like this,that but poison, potent totokill anything. particularly to detect and track the Cricket, sadly,enough has failed grow globally.But In is it creates a verytuned long tournament that has too like many of our instincts andhas much our sources of the distinct deadyou fish.

But its 138-year existence, the game not of added many soft games.

In aodours WorldofCup, want common wisdom snakes, this single-minded to tracking a decent Test team about to the venomous origithere to dedication be tension throughout. my imagination was England, off the down deadthat fishstands smells out mayishave nal club of Australia, One team Iremark. fact, the venom of each gotten a bit out of hand — cottonSouth In Africa, West Indies, New land. They’re getting exposed to a species saw-scaled is mouths on Seahorse Key have Zealand,of India, Pakistan viper and, lathigh standard of domestic-level carefully calibrated to the been large er, Sri Lanka.

The last twocomencricket,observed which iningesting turn is improvWorldare Cupislands 2015 has There off position its prey — species volumes of algae that smell a bit trants, of Zimbabwe and ing their international game.

Ev14 fray, theteams coastin ofthe Florida that eat mostly arthropods havea with eating clumps ofthey’ve mud Bangladesh, have pulled off ery ICC tournament, only a handful of fishy, where cottonmouths venom that is wins, far deadlier to on arsoaked the vomit of a brown few stunning but rely given usina shock.” them skilled enough have a peculiar thropods thanpools. the venom spe- to pelican, and attempting to swalpoor talent The of latter, Sadly, the rest of the minnows take a realistic shot fondness for fish that cies eat mostly low large stick minnows, covered in wawiththat fantastic massvertebrates. support for havea remained the atfrom the title fall trees precise match between ter-bird excrement. theThis game at home, has two great predictable nature of their prey type and the venom’s deadThe cottonmouths in the World Cup wins over Pakistan matches taking way from liness hasIndia been maintained patch in Florida (1999) and (2007), but little charmofofforest an event of this where magni-I across leastof. three shifts in diet work are wonder, likely not any else toatboast It continues to tude. No theeating next ediin saw-scaled vipers, which makes perfect find be the a work-in-progress.

Zimbabwe, on the oth- dead tion offish theand, Cup therefore, in 2019 willprobably only havedon’t 10 teams, sense if we remind ourselves that making ven- the of dead fish too compelling.

This er hand, suffers from administrative challengwithsmell the eight top-ranked ODI teams (as on 30 om is energy-wise costly.survived, Any snake would a wrench into what I initially es, and has just about thanks to throws September, 2017) gaining direct entrythought and the therefore fromfrom needing inject as lit- would be a foolproof cottonmouth-avoidance financial benefit assistance the to International remaining spots going to the finalists of the tle venom as possible of leaving decoy fishtotobe attract cottonCricket Council (ICC). every time it tries to kill plan qualifying tournament held the in Banglasomething. scorpion-eating away from where I work. NevertheWorld CupA2015 has 14 teamssaw-scaled in the fray,viper with mouths desh in 2018. could desired goal enough — a dead since cottonmouth’s expansive diet only a achieve handful its of them skilled toscortake less, Over the the years, the schedule too has become pion — with only a small venom include a human-sized organism, I have a realistic shot at the title.quantity Australiaof has been can’t incredibly demanding.

This year is no differthat is maximally potent scorpions. worry All I in need do isThe stay1992 out the best World Cup team towards with wins in 1987, little ent —towith 49about. matches 44 to days.

I’ll try2003 to remind myself of their venom’s preci- of theinway when the cottonmouths ourwith for1999, and 2007.

India and the West Indies Cup, comparison, was over in 34 in days sion if Iwith am ever careless unlucky as toand get est patch are making beeline for whatever it follow twoso titles each,orand Pakistan 36 league matches anda three knockouts.

It did, bitten byone andeach. injected withhas the venom of fi-a is they have decided eat, hot onnations the trailvyof Sri Lanka England lost in three however, have eight to Test-playing saw-scaled scent theycompared have decided to follow. nals — 1979,viper.

1987 and 1992. The minnows like whatever ing for the crown, to, say, the 1975 Afghanistan, Canada, Kenya, Scotland, Ireland, edition, which had eight teams, including two ottonmouths areand found the southkamath studies organismic evolutionary United Arab Emirates Theacross Netherlands, es- ambika non-Test-playing squads.

The and champion in eastern United and win in most of biology at Harvard University sentially make up theStates, numbers, an odd 1975 was decided after 15 matches alone — 12

Fang in there New Cup, old spin

The Indian saw-scaled viper and the cottonmouth in south-eastern are unlikely to waste on you positive and entertaining cricket.

The World CupUS returns to Australia, thetheir landvenom of aggressive, But will it please the cricket fans rooting for close, combative contests?

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nlike many people who study reptiles, I didn’t grow up catching he much-touted ICC Cricket World snakes for fun.

I’mThat still overflowing a little nervCup is finally here. ous, of therefore, encountering Cup dreams,about opportunities, exvenomouscitement snakes. In the last fewdesigned years, two and intrigue to snakes in particular have loomed over my draw millions of eyeballs — not to forget spontime India,and it’s stadiums the saw-scaled visors —outdoors. to the TV In screens once evper, a snake widespread in dry, action rocky ery four years.that’s The fans await explosive habitats butand active at andinafter sunset. In by the best theonly brightest international the US, and it’s the alsoplayers a viper,arethe cottonmouth, cricket, primed to showwhich is active thewill dayWorld but usually recase their finestduring game. But Cup 2015 mains water.and expectations? live upin toor allnear the hype Being by either ofthe these snakes would When bitten Australia hosted Cup for the first be farinfrom as one the four time 1992, pleasant, it created and a format thatofstood out, most widespread venomous snakes in India, for it tested the potential of the best teams in the danger posed the saw-scaled business.

Eachby team played theviper othercan’t and be But to prevent thought of thedismissed. best four competed in thethe semi-finals.

It being bitten by the snakesby from spiralling was a format appreciated all nine teams,into inincapacitating nervousness, I remind myself cluding Zimbabwe, which was on the verge of that snakes eatthat me and, beingthese granted Testcan’t status year.therefore, It helped have little team interest in wasting their venom on the young assess its calibre against crickme.

In fact, each of these animals has, over evoet’s elite. lutionary time, finely tuned feedIn terms of the quality ofaspects cricket of it its was, arguably, the best World Cup — barring a ridiculous rain rule that presented South Africa with the impossible task of making 21 runs off one ball to win against England in a semi-final at Sydney. Not everyone was complaining, however. Thanks to the rain, Pakistan was spared early embarrassment after being bowled out for 74. The match was abandoned, and Pakistan, gaining a point from the washout, went on to lift the Cup eventually.

The best advertisement for the 50-over game now returns to Australia, the land of aggressive, positive and entertaining cricket. But would it satiate the appetite of the cricket fanatics, rooting for close, combative contests on seemingly ideal pitches?

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Operatic colour Captains pose for a photograph at the Sydney harbour ahead of the 1992 World Cup, which brought with it white balls and coloured clothing vv

Hey, spot the fake!

Art lovers and critics beware; can you tell your fakes apart?

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Dead or alive?

200 years later, enlightenment is still a few steps away

re you on a blind date this weekend? Do you want to get rid of a house guest who happens to be an art history major? Or would you simply like some laughs?

If you’re in London, head to the Dulwich picture gallery this week (or this entire spring) for a challenge that could be either embarrassing or fun! The gallery will hang a $180 replica of a priceless painting in a genuine frame, which was commissioned online from a Chinese studio. Your job — spot the odd one out.

The Chinese studio commissioned to do this work is another fascinating story. High-resolution pictures of world-class paintings are received via emails. Hundreds of students then reproduce styles ranging from Botticelli to Picasso. Apparently, Fujian province alone produces five million replicas a year!

For the plebs who miss the counterfeit, there are tshirts in the museum shop which read ‘I failed to spot the replica’.

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ecently in Mongolia, forensic experts found a 200-year-old mummified body of a Buddhist monk. Experts claimed the man was long deceased but now, a Buddhist academic has said that he is alive, just in a deep meditation, only a few steps away from total nirvana. The man, who was discovered in a lotus position, wrapped in cattle skin, is speculated to have been in the ‘tukdam’ state — a really high state of meditation. If that’s the case, a rainbow might’veleague appeared in the on sky, three playing days, fol- Pakistan clash is slated for the second day of matches meaning the man (or monk) had found a ‘rainbow’ body, which is the stage. lowed by the knockout the tournament! state closest to the state of Buddha himself.

It took a while before commercial interests While many remain unconvinced of the mummy’s state, it’s not surgripped the ICC and eventually changed the Money spinners prising that religious groups are making this claim. recently, one In aOnly cricket-crazy nation like India, the orga- face of the World Cup. The playing conditions of India’s wealthiest Hindu spiritual gurus passednisers away. cut But his followa sorry figure in 2011 when teams and format were tweaked repeatedly to attract ers continue to claim that Ashutosh Maharaj has were simply driftedby into a more fans, and it morphed from greeted empty stands, deeper state of meditation. While Maharaj has left behind (orhost willIndia re- was playa 60-over game in the first three except when turn to claim) an empire worth $160 million, theing. unnamed monkisofunlikely to editions in England to a 50-over The trend Mongolia has nothing but the cow skin on his back. change in Australia and New one in 1987, and introduced This is a young India white balls and coloured clothZealand, where fans prefer to riding on the strength save their free time and money ing in 1992. The event has also alof Dhoni’s confidence lowed Australia and New for meaningful matches featurand Virat Kohli’s ing home teams.

Zealand to promote tourism, a brilliance first for cricket. The co-hosts Unsurprisingly, the economics have also tied up with the local of this showpiece cricket event is at the heart of the tournament’s police to deal with any corrupstructure. India and Pakistan tion at matches. find a place in the same group, ensuring a The introduction of drop-in pitches for the massive viewership across the world. It’s no se- knockout stage is to ensure the contests are cret that the two neighbours attach more im- not affected by the nature of the playing surportance to a win against each other than the faces in Australia and New Zealand. Also, the ith the new Telengana government allotting a whopping Cup even.

Pakistan, however, is yet to beat In- use of two new balls from either end should ₹21 crore to modernise the city’s policedia force, Hyderain athe World Cup meeting. In the 2007 edi- challenge the batsmen in a game that has seen bad Traffic Police (HTP) are going all CSI on the city. tion, when the two nations were placed in bowlers suffer due to lopsided rules. will now have policemen patrolling with body-worn cam-and eliminated before the First HTP encounters different groups Seen as the biggest commercial vehicle for eras, which they feel will “facilitate socially desirable behaviour”.

Afghanistan will be knockout stage, the tournament suffered the world body, every effort is made to reach playing first World The its cameras’ feeds will be recorded on the device streamed hugeand losses, with most knockout matches re- out to Indian sponsors and fans. Cricket, it is Cup thistoyear live control rooms across the city. cording poor attendance. This time, the India- universally acknowledged, is sustained largeap/rahmat gul HTP is also enabling e-payment of traffic fines and are implely by funds that India contributes. On the field menting an Automatic Integrated Traffic Management System though, Indians are battling form and inju(AITMS). Once in place, signal jumpers, jaywalkers and other asries. Nothing but the Cup would keep their sorted traffic criminals will be automatically caught in the act. fans happy, but the team is yet to find the winHonk honk to that! ning combination in Australia. The Tests and the One-day tri-series have been disappointing too, as India goes into its first World Cup without its best-known legends Sachin Tendulkar (1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011) s a precursor toor Mamata Banerjee’s visit1979, to the town RamSunil Gavaskar (1975, 1983 andof 1987). purhat in West Bengal’s district, higher This is aBirbhum young India ridingallonthree the strength secondary schools there have been shut. The — theybrilof Dhoni’s confidence and reason Virat Kohli’s have turned into makeshift homes for of theVirender 650-oddSehwag, police- Gauliance. The absence men who are on thetam CM’sGambhir, security detail.

Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan and The state’s Education Minister offered thiswinning erudite combinadeHarbhajan Singh from the fence, “There is no alternative for accommodating them. on tion of 2011place has placed added responsibility They need a place to sleep, they alsoSuresh human beings.” performers likeare Kohli, Raina and RThis Ashcomes shortly after win, the state’s Chief Justice had recently who tasted some success in thesaid, last “The edipolice administration, maintaining law order, tioninofthe thename Cup. of India, regardless of and its recent are curbing the fundamental right of students.”along The students show, remains a favourite with thehowrest ever are not complaining.

— because, in cricket, every Test-playing nation is a favourite at the World Cup.

Q

Police force 2.0

Look who’s listening!

Bad news for couch potatoes; your television has ears

T

he next time you have a domestic spat, turn off your television. Makers of smart TVs, Samsung, are warning customers about discussing personal information in front of their televisions.

If the voice activation feature of the TV is on, it will ‘listen’ to what is said and may share the information with Samsung or third parties (whoever they may be). The feature has come to light after the Daily Beast published an excerpt of the Samsung Smart TV privacy policy.

Here’s some George Orwell to serve as a grim reminder of devices, which know your vices: “He thought of the telescreen with its never-sleeping ear. They could spy upon you night and day, but if you kept your head, you could still outwit them… Facts, at any rate, could not be kept hidden.”

R

The Hyderabad cop gets James Bondish with a new collection of gizmos

W

Kindergarten cops

School is out, because the Chief Minister’s visiting your district

A

National interest Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott (third from left) at a World Cup promotion ceremony last year afp/saeed khan

Next over This edition of the World Cup, with its emphasis on young combinations, will have 14 teams divided into two groups with the top four from each progressing to the knockout stage.

This effectively means the Cup will only gain momentum from the quarter-finals, given the results at the league stage can be quite predictable. India, Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies should qualify from one group, and Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and England from the other.

Every team is projected as a potential champion. Every match, if you go by the ‘experts’ on television, is “crucial, important, great”. Most of these experts are perhaps busy doing their homework on the minnows of the tournament, especially the little-known squads of UAE and Afghanistan. As far as the players are concerned, the strategy is no different from a marathon — save your breath for the last leg, play three good knockout matches and lift the Cup. As they say, it’s same same, but different. vijay lokapally is deputy editor, Sports, The Hindu

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HANG

saturday, february 14, 2015

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in-faq by joy bhattacharjya Breakups

G 1

oing with BLink’s philosophy of being ahead of the curve, this Valentine weekend’s quiz fast-forwards straight to breakups. All the best.

here,there & elsewhere

Fight club

“W

e have to make a schedule,” says Bins. What schedule? “A Fight Schedule,” he says. “Now that we are living in the DecadentWest — ” he always says it that way, as one word “— like two ants in a matchbox, we will waste too much time arguing.” I say we’ll waste too much time making the schedule. “See?” he says. “Already we are arguing.”

According to Bins, human beings were meant to live in big, noisy groups, where all disputes were settled with fangs and claws. Then evolution happened.

Language followed. Brute strength gave way to verbal mediation. And women gained the upper hand. In Bins’ opinion the Rise of Womankind represents the End Of Civilisation As He Would Prefer It. “But we don’t argue when we’re in Delhi,” I say. “Why should we start here?” He points towards the kitchen. “No cook,” he says. “That’s the problem with the DecadentWest.

Too progressive. They believe in the nuclear family here. No domestic helpers as shock absorbers. When two humans live together with no one else to cook and wash and clean the floors, they become unstable.

Radioactive. Fissionable.” That’s how nuclear families got their name, he says. They’re always blowing up.

cornerstone

He explains what he means by a Fight Schedule. “We’ll divide the day into four quarters,” he says. “I’ll get the first six hours, starting at six. Then you, then me again, then you’ll get the final shift, from midnight to six am.” That means half of my time is at night, I protest. “Is better that way,” he says, waggling his head. “I will be asleep. You will win easily.” It’s an idiotic idea, I say. “No, no,” he says.

“Just see: when it’s my shift, I get to pick the topics for argument. When it’s your turn, you get to pick. We will each get an equal chance.”

“I don’t understand,” I say. “How will a schedule stop us from having arguments?” Because we each get only 15 minutes, he says with an air of triumph. The loser has to make tea.

“Who decides the winner?” I ask. He says the person whose shift it is. “I would be crazy to accept such a deal,” I say. All women are crazy, he says, making that pok-pok-pok gesture on the side of his skull, like in Asterix comics.

And women rule the world. That’s why the world is crazy. Pok-pok-pok.

I have long since stopped responding to his attempts to lure me into a Feminists v/s Other Humans debate.

In the first place, I no longer consider myself a feminist, in the second place, it’s a losing battle and in the third place, he fights dirty.

For instance, he claims he’s a better feminist than I am because he’s attracted to women, whereas I… prefer men. Haha.

I get up and head for the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” he wants to know. “My 15 minutes of argument time aren’t up yet!” To make the tea, I say. manjula padmanabhan, author and artist, writes about her life in the fictional town of Elsewhere, US, in this weekly column

As of today, Russian businessman Dmitry Rybolovlev’s divorce has been the highest divorce settlement handed out by a court, an estimated $4.5 billion. Who currently holds the record for the highest settlement paid out by a woman to her former husband?

2

Labour Day on May 1 is observed as a holiday in many states, including Assam, Karnataka and Kerala. Which other two Indian states celebrate a ‘breakup’ on the same day?

3

Famed journalist, screenplay writer and novelist Nora Ephron’s Heartburn is an autobiographical novel about the end of her marriage to a well-known journalist. Identify the gentleman. He has been portrayed on screen by Dustin Hoffman.

4

Which literary character was warned by her cousin Matthew Pocket not to believe her beau, a man named Compeyson, but went ahead, and was finally betrayed by him at the altar? If it helps, all the clocks in her house were set to that fateful time, 20 minutes to nine.

5

Meryl Streep’s first Oscar was for a role in which she walked out on her five-year-old child and husband and came back a year later to fight for custody. Name this ’70s film, which won five academy awards, and had a terrible Hindi copy.

6

The last words he spoke to her were about how she would regret it if she did not board the plane to Lisbon — “Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.” Name the film, and the two characters.

7 8

In the ’90s, who or what went through what became known as the ‘velvet divorce’?

Which 1994 album that sold over six million copies gets its name from a quote by one of the lead singers of the band when they split up in 1980?

9

This music director and singer’s association is part of Hindi film lore. They started working together in 1954, created hundreds of hits, and finally recorded their last song together for the film Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye in 1974. Name both.

10

This 1941 biopic was cleared by the Bombay Censor Board, but was later withdrawn by the government from many theatres as it felt it encouraged secession and would contribute to the breakup of the British empire in India. Identify this film, directed by Sohrab Modi, which was nevertheless a huge box-office hit.

Answers

1. Madonna, who gave Guy Ritchie a sum estimated between $76 million and $92 million 2. Maharashtra and Gujarat, which celebrate Maharashtra Day and Gujarat Day respectively, as this was the day Bombay state split on a linguistic basis in 1961 3. Carl Bernstein, who co-wrote All the President’s Men with Bob Woodward 4. Miss Havisham, from Great Expectations 5. Kramer vs Kramer. The Hindi version was Anand vs Anand, starring Dev Anand’s son, Suneil Anand 6. Casablanca; Rick and Ilsa, played by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman respectively 7. The dissolution of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia 8. Hell Freezes Over — The Eagles. Don Henley said the band would reunite only when hell freezes 9. OP Nayyar and Asha Bhosle 10. Sikander, based on the life of Alexander the Great

joy bhattacharjya is a quizmaster and Project Director, FIFA U-17 World Cup t@joybhattacharj

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