SLOW NEWS Three young websites are moving beyond headlines to change how information is presented and consumed p2 saturday, september 12, 2015
ap / jae c hong
Sunny Leone and Radhe Maa, in their own way, compel us to see sex as normal, inclusive and pleasurable, by provocatively mixing tradition with modernity p9
Common sutra
WHO’S YOUR DADDY With childcare entrusted entirely to mothers, there’s a fatherhood crisis in India p5
FILL THE BLANKS The Raj at War celebrates those who served in World War II and were forgotten p17
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Travel Log Getting there
There are no direct flights to Ireland. Fly Etihad via Abu Dhabi to Dublin. Travel by road to Connemara Airport in Inverin (240km) and take an Aer Arann flight to Inishmore. Stay
Eye candy From the air, Dun Aengus appears a semi-circle raymond fogarty (below) the chevaux de frise prachi joshi
Holding fort Stories, not headlines Drama in the wild A photo from a series on elephant capture on Peepli.org kalyan varma
A hike to Dun Aengus, an Iron Age structure in Ireland’s Inishmore, ends with sweeping views of the North Atlantic
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look anxiously at the white Cessna parked on the tarmac. I’m not a nervous flyer, but the tiny 10-seater plane appears flimsy. I’m at the Connemara Airport at Inverin, county Galway, on the west coast of Ireland (or what is known as the Wild Atlantic Way), and I am about to take the Aer Arann flight to the Aran Islands. I have of just ever mind the headlines thebeen day; weighed along with all myNews’; luggage a laptop or ‘Breaking or—‘First on bag with a change of Xclothes and camera. Your Channel or Newspaper Y’ kind of weight determines where sit insome the plane reports… Howyou about slow and on-ground attendant mispronews,the from the ground? Well, at(who a time when nounces my success name as meand in journalistic is ‘Peaches’) centred onseats speed row four of the five in headlines place. sensationalism, and are forgotten After days of gusty and News’ intermittent the moment the nextwinds ‘Breaking comes rains have marked Wild Atlantic Way along,that three young newsmy websites are offering trip so far,alternatives I take it as good omen that the sun is in-depth to knee-jerk journalism. shining brilliantly especially when PeeI’m People’s Archive of— Rural India (PARI), about to take a 20-minute ride inlaunched what looks pli, Untold — the oldest, PARI, was in like a toy plane. But the my other anxiety melts thethan moDecember last year; two are less ment we areold airborne. Fromto upchange, above, Ireland six months — promise among is a visual treat. land glitters in alland shades other things, theThe way news is carried also of green andThese gold,free-to-access and the sea sparkles consumed. sites lookanatinistense cobalt. flight to Aran Islands actually sues that areThe often neglected by mainstream takes less than 10 minutes, but I’m taking the media. And they do it through multiple for‘scenic’ route, with a fly-by over the famed Cliffs of Moher. The plane heads further west and the outline of the Aran Islands becomes visible. The ‘Arans’ are three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay — Inishmore (Inis Mór in Gaelic), Inishmaan (Inis Meadhóin) and Inisheer (Inis Oirthir). Inishmore is the largest of the three, and as the plane returns to terra firma, I can see a curious lattice-like pattern on most of the island. “These are stone walls that the farmers build to demarcate their lands and also to keep the top soil from blowing away,” says Cyril O’Flaherty, a local artist and farmer who runs Aran Walking Tours on Inishmore, and my guide for the day. Inishmore has hundreds of miles of these stone walls, which are just stones and boulders piled on top of each other, without mortar. After a quick lunch, we begin the hike up to
The three-star Aran Islands Hotel is a great base to explore the islands. Its balcony rooms offer a stunning view of the Kileaney Bay and Kilronan Harbour (www.aranislandshotel.com). Tí Joe Watty’s Bar (fiveminutes’ drive from the hotel) is the place to visit for a pint of Guinness, local seafood and traditional music and dance late in the evening. Tip
Dun Aengus is open all year (10am to 6pm MarchOctober, till 4pm NovemberFebruary). Admission €4. Ireland’s weather is notoriously fickle, so wear (or carry) weatherprotective clothing.
Dun Aengus (Dún Aonghasa), a prehistoric er circular, like Dún Eochla (also on Inishfort dating back to the Iron Age, built at the more) or whether it was D-shaped with a wall edge of a 100-m high cliff. “Dún Aonghasa on the cliffside,” says O’Flaherty. Either way, a means the Fort of Aonghas, possibly named af- substantial part of the fort must have colter the god Aonghas, who, according to Irish lapsed into the raging Atlantic below, possibly mythology, is the god of love and youth. An- during an earthquake. other theory is that it was built by the mythiFor the last 100m of the hike, I clamber over mats:king Articles that are researched over weeks ry alsosome has videos documenting thestone concal Aonghus mac Úmhór, rough, —naturally formed and months,around supported by extensive galleries stant tusslesteps, among thethetribesmen over somewhere 2 BCE,” exto enter inner enclosure of visuals; detailed infographlivestock preying plains O’Flaherty. However, of the fort.and In itsthe heyday, Dun ics; photo documentaries, wolves, as well the energetic, archaeological excavations as Aengus wasas probably the well asindicate audio and video celebratory dance before they now that thefiles. political, economic and set outritual on thecentre arduous These sites alsoof project first construction the jourforjourney. a tribe. nalism storytelling, and Focused on issues thattribe confort goesas back to 1100 Members of the The core team of Untold theirievisuals are Age. etched with includes only one person cern thewould rural Indian, the stoBC, the Iron have certainly the stamp of ‘art’. A good exries on lived PARI inside can bethe read in The fort walls were fort. with a background in ample of this is a Peepli multipleFoundations languages, thanks to strengthened and photoof seven journalism. The rest are Founder-editor documentary the Dhan- an eclectic bunch holding subtitling. added to in theon early houses, with pavedP gars, a nomadic tribe known Sainath floors pointsand outstone that heartmuch medieval period, other full-time jobs for its biannual of the content media today around AD 700. 500-km migrahs, havein been found in tion Central comesthe notinner fromenclosure. reports made Theacross one-km trekIndia. is PhoPotfromtery theshards, ground, but rings from tographer and The filmmaker over a gravel path. asbronze press Sites like Kalyan Varma, cent is far froma co-founder steep. The of andreleases. fragments of PARI, clay Peepli, travelled the tribe of thousands’ of followers, fort’s position is with strategic — at and their herds which has ‘tens moulds have also been excavatof sheep. Apart from the Dhangar sto- buck this trend. the highest point onimages, the cliffs ed. At the centre of the enclosure, Meanwhile, as Peepli seesedge it, a single and at the narrowest point of close to the of thearticle, cliff, even of 3,000stands wordsaornatural more, cannot give the the island. As we plod under the rock platform. full story on a“The complex, multi-layered topic.for So afternoon sun, O’Flaherty points platform was likely used In its heyday, its Dun newsfeedreligious draws readers into a as prolonged out to the neighbouring fields, ceremonies, a horde engagementof with issues. Forwas instance, ‘Nadotted with flowers in brilliant Aengus was probably bronze rings found its at this the political, ture Withoutspot, Borders’ narrative, which offerlooks colours — the hardy gentian probably a ritualistic economic and at ritual man-nature interface and conflicts across whose trumpet-shaped blooms ing,” says O’Flaherty. centre for athe tribe country, with a current on Hassan, are a gorgeous lapis, interI walk towardsfocus the edge of the Karnataka, already has is sixno articles uploaded spersed with wild lilac orchids. cliff; there protective barover five months. As we approach the fort, I can rier, just uninterrupted views of “We hear random bits of news, as down in ‘Tigers see curious arrangements of the North Atlantic. I lie on are disappearing’ ‘Elephantsagainst rammedbeing into a stones all around. “These are limestone my stomach (a or precaution villageaway hut’.by But we don’tand getcrawl to know the blocks, called chevaux de frise, that were erect- blown the wind) overall to the underlying factors. we follow the ised to deter attackers, and even today they are edge to look downAtatPeepli, the vertigo-inducing sues over months,drop looking intostraight all contributdifficult to negotiate,” says O’Flaherty. We en- sight — a perilous of 100m to the ing factors and which possible long-term ter the fort’s middle enclosure Colour through a craggy rocks, against the foaming sea central Rains ramifications,” says Varma, who is closely exbreach in the wall; the original doorway, beats mercilessly. Rajasthan, amining modern civilisation’s interface with about 50m to the right from here, isinnot in use. another Peepli prachi a Mumbai-based wildlifejoshi and is ecosystems. Thefreelance Peepli food, teamtravel also From the air, Dun Aengus appeared a neat photo arati lifestylesenior writer journalist Prem Panicker, phoincludes semi-circle. “We are not sure if thekumar-rao fort was ev- and
Three young news websites are offering a refreshing, in-depth alternative to the ‘breaking news’ school of journalism
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In a league of its own An image from the Untold series ‘Last of the Singing Halakkis’ madhumita nandi
are an eclectic bunch (including some who have earned their stripes in adventure sports and outdoor activities) holding other fulltime jobs. Sample: Naveed Mulki is writer, runner and photographer; Madhumita Nandi is a photographer; Tom Jose is a designer and programmer; and of course Mitta, who happens to be a designer. “In the digital age of storytelling, all of these elements contribute to the larger picture,” says Mitta, adding that Untold also accepts articles and photos from readers. Journey to nowhere A PARI photo of migrants on the Kochi-Kadiri train rahul m
tographer-writer Arati Kumar-Rao and Rahul Bhatia, a senior reporter. The site has collected more than 30,000 followers since May. Garnering more than 60,000 visits since May 28, 2015, Untold is a unique platform for stories, be it about a tribe in northern Karnataka, a Lego temple in Maharashtra, Tibetan monks meeting in Coorg for a worldwide convention, or even an offbeat personal adventure in the Himalayas. “We created Untold on the lines of a storytelling platform, because stories make places. In fact, Untold is just one part of our ambition,” says its young founder, Yashas Mitta. Who is a journalist? These sites signal a paradigm shift in the idea of who is a journalist. PARI, which has no fulltime employee, works through a core team of 20 members and close to 1,700 volunteers. It welcomes ‘contributions’ from everyone — stories, images, audio and video clips, technical support and help with translation, subtitling and editing. The core team of Untold has only one person with a background in journalism. The rest
reader will not consume one well-told, visually rich story a week, but will consume 100-plus 400-word stories a day? That model stems from being unsure of yourself, of wanting to be all things to all people,” he says. His colleague Kumar-Rao thinks slow journalism allows her to tell stories of those who are “most dependent on landscapes and those who are the first to be affected by land-use change”. “The idea is to not reduce any story into a snapshot in time, but to document shifting fates in the hope that such stories Back to roots will, in some small way, make people drafting Sainath believes that the need policy think,” she says. Bhatia, of the hour is “reclaiming jourwho writes for Peepli on issues nalism from corporate domain related to development and and getting it back into public their impact on people, conhands. This can be done in a 100 There is no fixed upload curs. He says, “I think slow jourdifferent ways, by making journalism is about experiencing a schedule for any of nalism an exercise where pubsubject’s life a little more fully.” these sites. Alerts lic participation is maximum”. come through Facebook There is no fixed upload PARI does not accept corporate schedule for any of these sites. and Twitter, or or government funding. Alerts come through Facebook newsletters Untold’s collective of profesand Twitter, or newsletters. “Insionals, who were drawn todian and international media gether by their shared passion houses have reached out to us for travel and storytelling, conwith advice and suggested that tinue to hold their jobs. As Untold is under no they would like to work in partnership with compulsion to feed the ‘revenue stream’, it di- us. And to our surprise, both common readers rectly reflects on its content. “We care deeply and, in a couple of cases, businessmen have reabout the stories we put up; we are personally sponded to our stories and asked how they connected with the stories,” says Mitta. can help,” says Panicker. In fact, a teaching/ As for Peepli, the team hopes to apply for learning partnership between the Asian Colfunding from various foundations after stabi- lege of Journalism, Chennai and Peepli has lising operations. “Half our operating funds taken off this month. come from our pockets, the other half is via a None of these sites have engaged in marketvery kind ‘angel investor’ who liked the con- ing so far. “Reintroducing the art in storytellcept and decided she wanted to help,” says ing across formats has been another big Panicker, Peepli’s series editor. reason for creating Untold, because much of the news stories we come across lack the Keep it low charm that great content should have,” says Panicker believes that both long and short Mitta. But what about the need to be financialforms of journalism have their place. He finds ly viable? Varma says, “We know that not all it ironical that media gurus trash long-form people have an appetite for this sort of news. journalism but nevertheless pitch for news And we don’t know where we are going to end websites to have between 150-250 news/enter- up; but we know this is how we want to do it.” tainment/sport stories uploaded each day. “How do we reconcile with the logic that a hema vijay is a Chennai-based freelance journalist
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EXTRACT AGENDA
Unforced The worlderrors is not enough To become a truly modern military, our armed forces must be open to scrutiny and not hide Brushes with local culture add to patriotism the thrill of journeys through Omo Valley, Ethiopia, and under the garb of unquestioning Dunhuang, an oasis-town on the edge of Gobi Desert in China sambuddha mitra mustafi
down the rates for everything — parking, group photos, and individual photos, before we could even turn the engine off. They knew we weren’t going to drive 60km back to Jinka. Their chalk-striated torsos bore the traditional marks of scarification indicating prowess in battle, although AK-47s had largely replaced the spears. It was mayhem when we got out, people pulling us in every direction to be photographed. I felt sorry for the less photogenic, who got left out. Getachew said they had tried fixing a very generous rate for the whole village, but it hadn’t worked. Flying visits like mine were the major source of income for the village. Without it, the Mursis would have abandoned this swamp where they practice flood cultivation in the retreating waters, and with it, a way of life. Yet tourism was changing their behaviour too, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. I wondered what the answer was — reUs vs. them The stricted contact to the Their chalk-striated army’s structural government violence and development and impunity torsos bore the NGOs and perhaps a few anthroin conflict zones such traditional marks of pologists to help understand as Kashmir only the scarification aggravate the situation culture? Is this what the Mursis indicating prowess in nissar ahmad would want? battle, although We had even worse luck with AK-47s had largely t was a cold, wet day in February 2007, the Karos, considered the masAfter 10 minutes, an apologetic polling offi- the Indian Army and state was boiling over. replaced the spears when I saw firsthand the Indian army, cer came out of the classroom, claiming they With every young ters ofboy body andseveral great whopainting, was killed, backed by their unscrupulous political had only “temporarily” shut the booth to hundred would improvisers, pick up thewho coffinincorporate and vow remasters, maiming Indian democracy. It “avoid false votes”. Inside were a few party per- venge againstball nails, cartridges an points, army that wasand ruining their was the most crucial day in the three-phase sonnel and a senior army officer. To anyone homeland, destroying into theirtheir jewellery. were familiesWe and makManipur state elections: sitting chief minister with some common sense it was clear what planning camp outside their village overing friendstodisappear. Okram Ibobi Singh was among the candidates was happening — the sitting government was looking a magnificent bend in by themany Omo River That one incident set back years whose fate would be sealed. I was a junior re- rigging votes in the chief minister’s constitu- (for fee of course, and employing them as the aprocess of reintegration of Kashmiri porter at Doordashan News, and had para- ency with the help of the army. My boss at guards, cooks, but the whole vilyouth. An armyand thathelpers) is supposed to protect cichuted from Delhi to cover the elections, Doordarshan Delhi refused to run the story in lage had come running out alerted by our littizens was mortally threatening them, pushwhich private news channels had ignored. dust, and surrounded us beforethe we spite of it being on film. “We will both get fired tle ingcloud themoftowards violence and bringing After reporting from various polling sta- if we run an anti-army story on Doordarshan,” could As we got out, the kids started nationpark. into disrepute. tions in Thoubal, Singh’s constituency, we he said. clamouring for ball and chocolates, It was the worst formpens of treason, fuelled by were driving on the highway towards Imphal grownups prodded and poked us for The Indian Army, like its counterparts in while hubristhe and legal immunity. when, outside one polling station, we saw a other countries, does an incredibly difficult money. Getachew tried to humour and So, while the confirmation of the them sentences group of about 30 local women protesting job. We don’t risk our lives at our jobs. The persuade them toisgive usnews, a little space, not in the Machil case good there is aifneed loudly. Their bright mekhlas jarred against brave men and women of the privacy, but to avail, since look mostatofthe them did tono take a deeper Indian their frayed tempers. When we stopped to ask army do. But the same bravery not understand hisstructural Amharic. Meles kept a Army’s violence and them what was happening, they flew into a and willingness to use force can beady eye onimpunity our stuffin in conflict the cabin. We soon zones such rage at the Indian army and government — the easily spill over into a deadly arrecognized we not get a moment’s prias would the North-East, Kashmir and An army that is “outsiders”. Our OB van, with the Doordar- rogance, and an impunity that vacy here, and Meles was lucky to be ablethe to Maoist-affected areas. Both supposed to surprise protect the Manipur Work of artGovernment The Karos use of redIndia ochrelogos, and/or chalk to decorate shan and quickly Karos by making us jump back intheytheir are bodies aboveshutterstock the laws meant and Kashmir examples citizens was mortally became their target. to the cab onshow a prearranged revving the for the “sissy civilians”. that if wesignal, put our soldiers threateningengine them, up toabove We gathered that the women were not bea roar,scrutiny and doing a fullthe circle as he That arrogance led them to under garb of pushing them Rounding theto Horn for in theManipur. Ethiopian Jewish, ing allowed vote(ofbyAfrica) the army, though an series getaway. Getachew told medemodarkrig votes And it’s or Falasha, made a quickpatriotism, we weaken our towards violence and cratic It is ironical that Ethiopia, in most parts back in that Israel. hour still remained beforewhich the official close of population a single government servant the same arrogance ledJinka sol- must be the ly “there is not republic and the army itself bringing the nation of the country is so unlike of Africa, capital documentary polling. They had been told the to gorest home. Local world clinic, no one to turn to diers of the 4for Rajputana Riflesfilm units rac- here, no school, in thenoeyes of citizens. into disrepute contains a region which is more to catchthree it all, before it goes forever. It help if something police were guarding the gates of thedefiantly polling ing happens. Well,Pakistan, let’s go and to off murder Kashmiri In neighbouring we good to beand surrounded by lush greenery, visit the Hamer “African” almost any other on the station — than a small government school — contiwhile was they are very differyouth in 2010, camouflage havepeople, seen the violent repercusnent. The see lower Omoarmed Valley army in thepersonnel extreme after rocky landscape we could heavily at our having to flee, and it asthe anbrown, anti-militancy oper- of the north. ent”. I was saddened sions of putting the armed forces southwest home to atclassroom least two dozen The in next three days wereManispent squeezed in- began feeling just outsideis the closed where colthe ation moreTolike cultural Machil. In both on aeven pedestal. the aIndian Arourful groups each with their own lan- to cabin of a Toyota with enjoy Geta- pollutant. pollingethnic took place. purtheand Kashmir, armypick-up personnel my’s credit, it has proved to be one of the most guage. in Election this sparely populated my through guide the and Armed Meles,Forces the Special driver, apolitical ArmedHere, with our Commission cards chew, It was a long back to the mainamong track, and immunity and way disciplined armies dewilderness, is little history, andaside life carrutted tracks for and camera,there we managed to brush the bouncing got stuck in the oozecountries. twice. The But locals Powers Act,along which instilsmud the feeling thatabout they we veloping, post-colonial tobarberies on much as itstopped has for millennia. Our small 300 kilometres. Not too far beyond the hori- gained police, but were by the army personfuriously before lending hand. Getacan get away with anything. come a truly modern army that isarespected by plane from the Addis droned on of over spectacutri-junction of Sudan, Uganda, and chew nel outside closed doors theabooth. We zon and Meles tryingtoto workscruthe It lay is inthe this context that we should welcome all citizens, it mustwhile open itself greater lar of lakes rift valley, which The Mursis, on a patch of high ground wereseries brusquely toldin to the get lost. But egged on Kenya. also past argued furiously, would the unprecedented life sentence handed out winch tiny, admit mistakes andand educate itseach foot stretches south the way to to in swampy forest, had got it all worked by the crowd atall the gates, weMozambique, stayed put and me that asidewith for moral Getachew to athe six army personnel involved in the out. Ma- take soldiers great support. force comes great land on a grassy airstrip in theofficer regional out- The ran Back into the little low to in- said demanded to meet the polling respon“Meles, he has a psychic problem, he chil women encounter. in 2010, the huts encounter responsibility. post been cleared their famous plates into in thethe pouches sible of forJinka the (after booth.the Westrip kepthad filming despite sert triggered violent clay street protests Valley should rush the inclines. You see he has only of a game football). Most from of thethe seats were their lower lips, and donkilled. other accoutresambuddha mustafi is the founder of verbal andofphysical threats irate ar- cut for anmitra NGO.” Both of them pretended thatinled to 123 people getting I covered driven while the surrounded us,against laying not taken up by an Ethio-Israeli film crew doing a ment, The Political Indian t@some_buddha my personnel. to notice that the tyres were absolutely those protests formen the BBC: the anger
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The missing man Across classes there is a fatherhood crisis in urban India — men are not becoming fathers their stories. It is not enough to say that a father’s involvement benefits a young person. Each form of absence — whether it is just disinterest or divorce, alcohol, disease and death — has a profound impact on a child. Urban India must recognise the link between a father’s absence in a son’s life and the child’s capacity to regulate aggression. This aggression could be outward towards other people (usually female, starting with his mother and moving to others) or inwards in the form of self-neglect and depression. Both these scenarios are on the increase. More than one mother has come into my office complaining that her teenage son hits her. The father is absent in one way or another. Her son, she says, will not come to see me. So it’s between me and her. These mothers are strong, capable women who are not pushovers, yet here they are being physically bullied by their teenage sons and feel powerless to stop it. On further exploration it emerges that the sons feel powerless too — especially in the outside world — with their peers and in school. They are often frustrated and demoralised, and take their anger out on the one person who is always present — the mother. These are not stories from poor, uneducated families. These are from middle- and uppermiddle-class families that use a ‘this won’t happen to us’ version of denial as a force field. Research after research shows that a father’s involvement in his children’s lives has a Do your bit As Barack Obama said, “We need fathers to realise that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child — it’s the courage to raise one.” s mahinsha positive impact on their development, school achievement, social skills and relationships. he word ‘parent’ in our country still Feminists have often argued whether it is even Harsh Mander recently wrote in The Hindu on effectively means ‘mother’. Parent is necessary to have men in families. “involved fatherhood”, and the State of the used as a politically correct term to I am arguing that it is. It is important be- World’s Fathers report, which concludes that sound inclusive, but in reality it cause the growing child needs his father. “fathers matter”. rarely is. This may be because the word is too Children would have told you that, if anyvague and permits enough space for the ab- A son in need one had cared to ask or listen to them. If chilsent parent to remain, well… absent. In any Ideally, I would assert that it is as important dren don’t ask for their fathers, it is not ‘group’ or ‘talk’ on parenting, most of the at- for both boys and girls to have their fathers because of disinterest, but because they have tendees are mothers. present, but for now I am going to stick to the seldom known them. When their mothers This is not by accident. It is a constructed re- need of boys. I make this choice because there handle all dimensions of care — food, upkeep, ality. Society has conjured this by allowing the is often little separation between mothers and school, friendships — then what will the father busy parent — the one who provides for the their sons in our culture. The mother is often bring in? Sadly, neither father nor child have family ‘monetarily’ — to be absent or relin- blamed and caricatured for this: whether as an answer for that. quish the responsibility of the children to the the overprotective mother chasing her son The actions of most fathers suggest that other. The mother. with a glass of milk; or the anxthey want to remain providers or This places a burden on the mother, wheth- ious mother of the young man, bystanders. They leave all the er it is experienced as such or not. However, keeping an eye on his friendcaretaking to a combination of what is ignored is the impact on the child of ships with girls; or the overbearmother, grandmother and hired For there to be a having a powerful, but largely inactive male ing and possessive help (usually female). greater distance member in the family. In fact, to have a father mother-in-law making life diffiAs a child psychologist, when I between mother and who is alive but absent seems to have a worse cult for the son’s new wife. Yet am asked to help a child, it is the son, the distance effect on children than having a dead and, this separation between mother mothers who make the first call. between father and therefore, unavailable father. and son can only come about if In 12 years of practice, one father son needs to reduce Today, across classes there is a crisis in fa- the father enters the picture has made the first call. I have therhood in urban India — men are not be- early enough and is valued by learnt that I must call the father coming fathers. This problem spans the his son. For there to be a greater to the first appointment. If not, it richest families with disposable wealth to the distance between mother and is too easy to conclude that he is poor in unauthorised housing and the wide son, the distance between father and son the villain of the piece. When I persist, the famiddle-class in between. They are fertilising needs to reduce. thers do arrive. They seem torn between the eggs with their sperm but seem to be clueless The gap left by the father is filled by the desire to be in the wings and the urge to be about their next role. These are not just my mother, and the father can’t fit back in. It is an called onto centre stage. They want to be inwords. President Barack Obama in a 2010 unfortunate chicken-and-egg situation, but volved but they don’t seem to know how. Their speech on Father’s Day said, “We need fathers casting blame will never prove helpful. reluctance often hides a lack of confidence in to realise that responsibility does not end at their own capacities as a father. They simply conception. We need them to realise that what The longest distance are not sure they are valued. And they really do makes you a man is not the ability to have a The young people I work with often tell me want to be. child — it’s the courage to raise one.” about the distance between themselves and The Economist has, more than once, run a their fathers, and the damage this causes. It is nupur dhingra paiva is a clinical child psychologist cover story on the uselessness of the male. a common theme that runs through many of who teaches at Ambedkar University, Delhi
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Best seats taken NH7 Weekender began as a music fest in Pune in 2010 and quickly grew into a multi-city event with a mix of music, comedy, food and more
Live and big-ticket View from the other end
Lives in-between In strife-torn Assam, refugee camps are bursting with people robbed overnight of their few material possessions ritu raj konwar
The organised events industry in India has grown to a staggering ₹4,258 crore in 2014-15, marked by heavy footfalls and an audience willing to shell out big bucks to be entertained The Story of Felanee reminds readers that Assam’s disenfranchised were once happy in hen American triothey event management company concerned. Also their penury, safe in comedian the huts could call home
W E The Story of Felanee Arupa Patangia Kalita (Translated into English by Deepika Phukan) Fiction Zubaan ₹395
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Gabriel Iglesias, Paul Varghese in the mix are managed events, namely brand and Eddie Ifft toured India launches and concerts, and digital events, during Comedy Central which connect audiences through a shared thnic in people Assam, turned like elseChuckle in 2013,violence over 6,000 up uation violence is stoked in the name of Ghosh, and that only adds to the complexity of digital where environment. Northeast, a head. beast identity. to laugh where at theirin act,the paying ₹2,000isper is also about Media’s militants whoviceget her identity. JaideepItSingh, Viacom18 senior thatBritish has long bred in its hills and sucked This year, actor-comedian Russell intoand thebusiness romantichead belieffor that they are president integrated Ethnic violence is not new to Felanee. She dales.the Butsecond in the last fewofyears it has fighting Brand opened season the festivthe ‘freedom of out motherland,’ but was born in the time of violence, and lost her network for solutions, points that internagrown more bloodthirsty. And, as The always, it’s wind al, organised by Live Viacom18. tickets and power-greedy. They tional up live depraved shows are outshining the growth of father to it. Her mother died not long after givthe poor who75are the worst-hit. of end were priced per cent higher Irrespective — ₹3,500 each up slaves a system which finally swaldomestic ones.of“In international, the size is ing birth to her. To save the baby from rioters, their identities, they exist on thin line lows — butethnic the footfall only increased, to a15,000. She drawsgenres attention the rape of the mother, Jyotimala, flung her into a pond. largerthem. and multiple havetobeen added. between living and dying. Assam’s refugee This was the refrain at NH7 Weekender as Assam over the yearsareinstill thelargely name around of one Khitish’s relative Ratan, hiding nearby, fished The domestic events camps are festival burstingorganised with thousands of people ‘movement’ Bollywood,” well, the by or another,he and says. out the baby soon after the riotrobbed overnight their few material posses- shows how the land Only Much Louderof(OML), which its most The and rapid growth notwithers left. He raised her, called her sions. It shows howand alive and kicking that vulnerable people is growing by leaps bounds oftenIndia pay the standing, remains a nasFelanee — the one thrown away. beast of ethnic violence and how far and price. When the with every edition. Whatis, began in uniform centmenmarket for organised Years later, Felanee loses not She brings out the wide it has its claws. The camps are in 2010 as a spread music fest in Pune are sent by the Centre, it is not events. Sabbas Joseph, director of only her husband and home in Entertainment rape of Assam over proof that the into state ahas failed to protect peo- have quickly grew multi-city just the militants whoInternational suffer. Wizcraft Entertainanother bout of ethnic violence options been the years in the name ple fromwith the perpetrators of violence. Oflimited those to malls event, five cities playing The protagonist Kalita’s sto- of Event & ment of and president but also her unborn child. Over of one ‘movement’ or affected, sometocontinue live in the camps, host this year its mix ofto music, ry is Felanee,Entertainment the quarter-AssaManagement Asthe years, the loss faced by the and movies another, and shows others out more. in the hope of setting up mese, comedy,move food and quarter-Bodo andsays the marsociation (EEMA), poor in Assam has certainly rishow the land and its home elsewhere. As more Indians tune in to inhalf-Bengali young of Lamket sizewife in India pales in front of en, while the weapons of the riotmost vulnerable It’s this trauma thecomedy, displaced that Arupa bodar, an Assamese ternational musicofand Koch live events the nearlyof $12-billion ers have grown sharper. In this people often pay Patangia Kalita successfully explores in The strain. Felanee live events are turning moneyis also the motheconomy in New York. hopeless situation, Kalita, the price Story of Felanee. She reminds readers that these er But spinners for organisers. of an Moni, it’sadorable a marketboy with— potential. “We are a through Felanee, plants hope; disenfranchised people were once happy in and From ₹2,800 crore in 2011-12, the organised is seven pregnant country wheremonths 60 per cent of the audience is she shows how the tenacity of their penury, once (orhas so they thought) in with events industry insafe India grown to a staganother. young. They don’t necessarily migrate to TV or the violence-affected people has their huts which they could geringlittle ₹4,258 crore in 2014-15 — a 15call pertheir cent traditional Felanee’s media mixedand inheritance are looking to experisustained them. Kudos to Kalita own. More importantly, they once hadcrore a sense rise. It is expected to touch ₹5,779 in clearly becomes she finds ence live mediatricky every when moment of theherself day,” for adding this tragic chapter of Assam’s conof belonging. Her 314-page book is the&Young. story of in 2016-17, according to a report by Ernst the middle Singh says. of a war based on identities. Her temporary history to its literature. The book’s lives in of misery and of their fight for sur- Assamese At thelived heart this industry are music, theatgrandmother had married a Bodo, Ten-year-old Aryav Menon would testify to translation could have been better in places, vival. Binding these people together, however, re, comedy and dance shows, besides events her wedded Bengalibuilt sweetshop this.mother A regular at livea events aroundowncar- but it matters little, because the plot is so pois the hopeon that one daycharacters things might centring cartoon andchange Bolly- er, while she married an “It Assamese. wears tent, bordering as it does on facts. toon characters, he says, is a kindShe of experifor the This better. wood. also includes event-related intel- the red and white legacy enceBengali that can never be bangles, achievedthe through Throughout the — narrative, writer takes lectual property such astheSunburn, for of her mother, one day hercome dok- sangeeta barooah pisharoty is a Delhi-based television or 3Dwho movies. Thedropped characters writer the reader—through hopelessness sit- hona instance owned the wholly or partly ofbya the Vijay Nair, CEO and co-founder of Only Much Louder Benarasi sari and married Khitish freelance alive for andaare interactive. From Enid Blyton’s
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Noddy to Japanese robot Doraemon, the young Menon has “interacted” with them all at the many live events he has attended with his parents in Delhi. Ready money Joseph adds that young audiences today — comprising largely of executives, professionals and students — are earning a lot more than they did a decade ago. “The only perfect, real opportunity for entertainment is live events,” he says. That explains the spurt in the number of festivals and concerts, and the spike in ticket prices. The middle-income group has more dispos- Sabbas Joseph, director of Wizcraft able income today but its entertainment op- International Entertainment tions have been limited to malls and movies, says Singh. The desire for more experiential from there, to tier 3 cities… I can see a sea entertainment is bound to shore up the for- change,” says Joseph. tunes of the live events industry. Alongside the rapid growth in demand, the Moreover, this trend is true of not just the live events industry is grappling with chaltop cities but also tier 2 and tier 3 centres, lenges of its own. The biggest is a lack of venwhich have gradually warmed up to the idea ues. “There are not enough venues for live of music events and gigs as the ultimate enter- events. We have to put up everything from tainment option. From Jaipur scratch in open grounds,” rues and Indore to Guwahati and BhuSingh. Right from the backstage baneswar, there are enough taketo parking lots, creating every rs for tickets priced upwards of manner of infrastructure and ₹1,000 for live shows. dealing with a multitude of venAnywhere between “Quite a few tier 1 cities like dors makes the entire process six and 16 Mumbai and Bengaluru are getcomplex and time-consuming permissions are ting saturated with events and for the organisers. needed for each we are starting to see interest event, depending on and response from other cities,” Licence to thrill the city and state says Vijay Nair, CEO and co-founAnother big challenge is securider of OML. ng approvals from the fire safety “The Indian consumer is very department, police, municipalaspirational. The rising disposaity and other authorities. “Anyble income and willingness to spend have where between six and 16 permissions are made live events bigger in tier 2 and tier 3 ci- needed for each event, depending on the city ties. While most of them are Bollywood-based, and state. There is no single-window clearance gradually many international events are also and the process can take months,” says Joseph. taking place there,” Singh adds. Nair knows this better than most. His comIn line with this trend, NH7 Weekender is pany had to cancel the much-awaited Jerry travelling to Shillong (apart from Delhi, Mum- Seinfeld show in Mumbai after the police rebai, Pune and Bengaluru) this year while the fused to give licences for the weekend event at India International Dance Festival is pitching NSCI citing traffic issues. “Apart from licenstent in Bhubaneswar. “What becomes regular ing and infrastructure issues, this sector fare in tier 1 then migrates to tier 2 cities and, doesn’t have a huge appetite for risk, in gener-
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Dig in British actor-comedian Russell Brand takes stage at Comedy Central Chuckle
Big on Bollywood Domestic gigs mostly rely on tinsel town for inspiration
al. This really needs to change and people should be willing to sample events for this industry to change and develop,” says Nair. Yet another stumbling block is the requirement that organisers should pay entertainment tax before the tickets are sold. Ranging from 0-50 per cent, this tax makes it unviable to hold many events, says Joseph. That means, despite the rise in ticket sales, most events just about break even or remain loss-making propositions. “The pricing (of tickets) is not appropriate. They are not on the higher side. That is why a majority of the ticketed events tend to be loss-making,” says Joseph. Viacom18’s Singh says sale of tickets has increased by 30-35 per cent in the last three years. Yet, it is important to have robust sponsors to ensure that an event brings in profits. For high-profile events, sponsorship brings in 50-60 per cent of the revenues, “and that is when you can make your event viable,” says Singh. Viacom18 is looking to break even now — in its third year — on the back of sponsorships. Nair pegs sponsorship at 50-80 per cent of the earnings in the Indian live event sector. “Brands have realised that this is a great way to activate their products directly in front of consumers. For many brands, it is great for direct sampling and gaining immediate feedback on the product,” he adds. For organisers, it means a cut in costs. Joseph points out, however, that the future of the industry depends not only on growing demand but also government support. “There is neglect towards the sector. Some kind of subsidy or support is needed,” he says. A few governments have, in fact, recognised the potential of the sector and are actively looking for ways to minimise the challenges faced by organisers. Joseph points to the Delhi government’s single-window clearance for live events and the Maharashtra government’s efforts to engage with the live events industry to resolve bottlenecks. In the meantime, it’s all sweat and toil backstage, as the live show must go on… enthralling millions of Indians. rashmi pratap
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UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY
This side or that In some cases, crossing a line can bring you closer to hope and freedom
Crimson tide Sirajuddin Ahmed, who lost more than 40 members of his large family on February 18, 1983, believes there is no “justice in the world” courtesy subasri krishnan
The forgotten riot How do we remember massacres? How do we, as individuals and a collective, remember it and memorialise it for history? A documentary on the Nellie carnage attempts to answer these questions
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Life’s like that
young Kashmiri or the first 10 minutes of What the but what was the child’s fault?’” says Abdul have moved on in veryA different ways. For looks Fields Remember, it’s all quiet on the Khayer, 20 minutes into the film, recounting Ahmed, there is “no justice in out thisfrom world”, and behind a damaged eastern front. The camera rests on the the events of February 18. He lost seven mem- for Khayer, citizenship iswall a of performance. He her house green fields, the brown river, and the bers of his family that day. gathers and displays meticulous records — in Dhair Bazar, men clad in white in the villages around NelFor six hours, mobs wielding machetes and land documents dating to 1935 and voter lists Madarpur sector, whichasked falls onquestions the lie. The rice crop sways gently. Logs of wood sickles attacked ‘Bangladeshis’ or ‘illegal im- from 1965 to 2010 — when Line of Control float down the Kopili river, while boats rest on migrants’. Houses were burnt down and about belonging. afp/sajjad qayyum its banks. Children ride bicycles on a kuchcha standing fields turned into pools of blood. Joshua Oppenheimer takes memorialisaroad; a man sings hymns to the martyrs of Feb- Eighty per cent of those who died were wom- tion even further in The Look of Silence (2015), ruary 18, 1983. Sixty-five-year-old Sirajuddin en, children and the elderly. Two months after the searing companion piece to Act of Killing Ahmed sitsinon the river bank, his back to the ended up Srinagar this Independence pogrom, compensation arrived —and ₹5,000 nate,the most people decided to stay indoors, (2012), perhaps, tomuch its conclusion where ple were right, she was more willing to viccamera. Beluguri 74-year-old Day. My In in-laws werevillage, supposed to leaveAbdul for first survivors, ₹3,000 the injured, for the time since myforarrival at the and in- tin theirshe perpetrators. opentims/survivors up to a woman.confront It seems that had an Khayer his documents on a cotto — case for Hajj,arranges and my wife and I had decided to of rebuild homes.had Tilltapered date, none laws,sheets the flood well-wishers off. of Adi,husband. a travelling seeks hiskept brother abusive Heoptician, beat her, andout she files against the state Assam in the Gauhati spend some time withof them before that. I We sat those charge-sheeted ofsharing the 688stoFIRs filaround the drawing(299 room Ramli’s in the running awaymurderers. to her folksRamli . But was they killed had two High Court, prints of the Wikipedia page on also wanted to meet a professor at Kashmir been prosecuted. ries. ed) My has mother-in-law, who was among the children, 1965-66 in Indonesia. watches andgenocide the husband would visitHe after a the Nellie massacre, and a list ofwho people University’s Centre for Earth Sciences, has who Three decades on officers, July 15 this state’s first women civillater, service toldyear, us Asvideo footagefull of of death squad members couple of weeks, apologies, with the de32some years ago. been died doing excellent work on water is- aboutsam chief days minister Tarun her early at work. The topic turned kids in tow, and scribing in gory detail what they did the woman’s family would Subasri Krishnan’sDay 51-minute sues. But Independence in the documentary Kashmir towards Gogoi debate on the conflict force her to go therevived Line ofthe Control (LoC), to back. their neighbours. After years of such trauNellie massacre, which shot Valleyon is the always a little different fromwas what we over the National Registerthe of state. Citithat continues to plague “We off their heads andto penisma, the woman, in cut desperation, decided one-and-a-half years, is not a reconstruction of “You experience in the rest of India. zens, bringing back ques- said, “there run across the know,” my mother-in-law es, LoC. and dumped them intofrom the river Her father hailed We hear adult men thedissident mass killing. It is,flew rather, a quiet Some groups green flagsreminder and are other tionsstories of whoofisthe anLoC Assamese as well. I remember somewhere in Snake. drank their blood, to not the We Jammu region, and she sob at their annual of what flag has become a bloody in histhe Pakistan on August 14, the footnote day Pakiscitizen and methis strange case the thatviolent happened go crazy.that Weat cut women’s thought least open she would gathering on tory, a forgotten riot. tan celebrates independence, leading to the in themories of Nellie Jammu sector during and my chests, you know what that looks be safe across the LoC.” February 18 each On February 1983,channels at the peak ofathe usual hysterics on TV18, news over 10- antiearlyKokrajhar. days in the service. This like? coconut fibre, full of holes,” “WeLike tried,” my mother-in-law year, and we see the foreigner agitation (the Assam movement), second video clip being played over and over would have “I was interested in’80s the been in the early theywith say. a sigh, “to find her relasaid After memorial years of such Nellie grow 2,000 Bengali Muslims were again,more withthan anchors and commentators whip-killed — what public or so,questions when things wereis not so Both join for a growing tives, or films a shelter her, butbody in of trauma, woman, derelictthe with time Nellie andinto 13 other villages in Assam, for deping in themselves a frenzy of self-righteous is not? What bad. history, The LoCwhat was still there, butis work around history, and vithe end we could not memory locate anyin desperation, an electoral called by the rage. fying In Srinagar, whereboycott 99 per cent of the pop-All Ascollective memory? Why not the level of artillery and rifle olence. viewers, theyJammu raise diffione. TheFor violence in the decided to run sam Students Union (AASU). days before, ulation became aware of this act ofFour dissidence don’twewehad know more about fire that in the ’90s, or cult during questions: Who Partition carries the area and after across the LoC on February hundreds of Bengali Muslims because Indian TV14, channels beamed it relentsays the filmmaker, now. Nellie,” We would sometimes meet memories of hundreds a massacre. had displaced of How thou-does to poll booths exercise lesslyhad intomarched the homes of those whotocould nottheir whose previous works have dealt with ideas of one forget the military and civil service such And violence? we, as indisands. then How the do husband franchise as citizens in state elections. care less, it resulted in curfew in a few areas. By fromcitizenship (This to or That Person, 2012). viduals and the other side sortParticular out a collective, and mecame from the remember other side.itBoth day) when I came to the village August “(That 15 there was some confrontation be-juncsomewhere along the film, the question morialise small“But issues, especially of famfor history? What is Pajustice, ouritpeople and those of the saw our forces peopleand leaving their homes. tweention, theI military militants in ilies that turned. forgot For the surwereWho divided bythe themassacre? LoC. acknowledgement or compensation? When kistani side threatened him with consequencI sawbut both sons hiding in alatpond. I “One northThen Kashmir, wemy learned of it much vivors, is no forgetting. film)A then day there I received a strange (The request. will he Khayer a citizen? If Ahmed es… And weptbecome and promised to take care of pretied one them my back, the other. I woke upofwith notosignal on and my held mobile became about remembering,” says Krishnan. woman had crossed over from the other side, his wife, fers so notwetohad talktoabout theher. massacre, Adi’s 100release I don’t know er All one,mobile and ran acrossinthe pond. I—finally phone. services Srinagar I do sat Fields asdo a peeand theWhat local the people didRemember not knowserves what to mother whatyear-old happened to hercan’t after stand that.” the sight of the whenabout we reached of the Kopili not know the restthe of banks the Kashmir Valley,river. into “physical with phole her. She wasthe arrested, butand afterpsychological a week, perpetrators in her neighbourhood. On the Freedom is a desperately personal thing. time, started toregions fire at — us. We muchAfter less some Jammu andthey its outlying survivors. Faded photographs whenmemories” it was clearof that she posed no threat, she The LoC, otherthe hand, the killers firmlyconflict, advise Adi to bunucleus of a bitter may ran down Mathaburi. While running, I lost had been suspended. glide in and frames, hear adult was released intoout theof care of thewe people from men the past, or else,for “it hundreds can happen be a ry symbol of horror of again” thou- — a over that my we elder son’s an AssaWegrip laughed were freehand, from and our mosob atwelfare their annual gathering on February the social service. They thought the 18 fear in Indonesia or Nellie, sands. In that somesurvivors, cases, however, it is a beacon of conmese person struck back with hisat sickle. bile phones at least, but my appointment each year,talk andtowe the Nellie woman would me,see a female officer,memorial and hopetinue live with. and to freedom to those in suffering, for The University son who was oncertainly my backnot — the sickle split Kashmir was happengrow derelict time. The film takes us back so I went... It was a with sad story. thetheir Fields Remember will be screened reasons(What entirely own. his head in two. He across died then andand there. I “It to ing. With security cordons the city Nellie, Borbori, and Muladhari, was difficult at first. She spoke where with asurvi- at India International Centre, Delhi on September jumped into the river…which got upto and saw someno mobile service through coordilive next but door perpetrators, “going 19, as part of the Open FrametOmairTAhmad thickvors Pahari accent, thetosocial welfare peofilm festival.) one kill my other son. I called out to them and about the business of life.” In Sirajuddin said, ‘Maybe we had done something wrong, Ahmed and Abdul Khayer, we find people who priyanka kotamraju
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Omair Ahmad is an author. His last book was on Bhutan
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S S E N Y A D Y R EVE X E S OF
The screen saver Sunny Leone is popular not for only being a porn star but for putting more meaning in porn than just sex sandeep saxena
Sunny Leone and Radhe Maa, in their own ways, create a social crisis of meaning by unsettling our assumptions about sexuality and freeing it from the languages of religion, psychology, science, state and urban legend
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hen CPI leader Atul Anjaan said Sunny Leone’s condom advertisement would encourage rapes, his misreading came from a long tradition of richly coded condom ads. The early Nirodh ad spoke in the state language of family planning. Sex came at the end when a couple was shown slowly disappearing into a dark corner, which could not be publicly known. The Nirodh couple, so-
lemnly holding hands to indicate responsibility and commitment, faded into sex under the disciplining gaze of the government. Much later, the condom ad found a new language, the language of pleasure. The Kamasutra condom ad showed a half-naked couple frolicking in water, dissociating sex from the state and matrimonial responsibility. However, it was no sign of sexual revolution. The language of pleasure was safely couched in yet
another language, the language of tradition. They could speak of sexual pleasure only by making an appeal to tradition for legitimacy — that’s why the name was Kamasutra. Who could object when it was all there in the old Hindu text? The later, more popular Nirodh ad that spoofed the Raj Kapoor song Pyaar hua, iqraar hua hai belonged to the cinematic convention of the double entendre, which we have grown comfortable with. Who could miss the overarching prophylactic connotation of the umbrella, which saved the couple in torrential rain? The ad spoke of sex in the social language of safety and protection. Anjaan, and indeed most of us, are not used to sex being articulated in its own language, the language of pleasure. We are fine as long as we hear it in the language of the state, tradition, etc. But when it finds utterance in the unabashed language of pleasure, as in the Sunny Leone ad, we face a breach of meaning and try to translate it into some other language. Anjaan translated it into the language of social oppression, the rape. Increasingly, sex is getting dissociated from languages in which we have got accustomed to finding it. What do you make of Radhe Maa in ‘sinful’ shorts dancing to Bollywood songs and Leone, dressed in a kurta and ceremonial yellow scarf, praying at the Siddhivinayak temple? From blasphemous pop star Madonna to New-Age meditation guru Osho Rajneesh, many have mixed religion and sex to shock their way to limelight. But that’s not what Leone and Radhe Maa do. Both, in their own ways, create a social crisis of meaning by unsettling our assumptions about sexuality and freeing it from languages of religion, psychology, science, justice, state and urban legend. They compel us to unlearn what we learn about sex from the pope, Freud, the Ram Sene goons, the police that raids couples in hotels, the feminist and the agony aunt. Leone might be a savvy market queen who has tasted blood in the Hindi film industry and Radhe Maa might just be a sham to some, yet they force us out of our uncritical reception of tradition and modernity by provocatively mixing one language with the other. Blurring boundaries Once a broad line separated the good girls from the bad ones. In Hindi films, a conservative and self-effacing woman was played off against a permissive, independent woman who smoked and drank with abandon, made the first move and then aggressively chased the hero. The good woman, the heroine, was
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Stitch in time (Clockwise from below) Muslin border embroidered with beetle wings, probably from 19th-century Hyderabad victoria and albert museum, london Houndstooth sari in double ikat silk by Abraham and Thakore courtesy abraham & thakore; a map shawl in woollen embroidery from 19th-century Kashmir victoria and albert museum, london
Warp and weft of India ‘The Fabric of India’, to be held in London, will be the first major exhibition to explore the country’s handmade textiles, spanning from the third century to the present day
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oarders everywhere, you stand vindicated: A wall hanging found discarded on a New York pavement has made it to London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). The piece, made by the Kathi community of Kathiawar, was found on the pavement by an art appraiser in the 1990s. The finder, Jerome Burns, then gifted it to the V&A in 1994, where it was restored by specialists and will go on display for the first time next month. Rosemary Crill and Divia Patel have curated ‘The Fabric of India’ exhibition (supported by lifestyle brand Good Earth), which brings together the rich textile history of the country. The collection of 200 objects includes handmade textiles that date back to the third century as well as pieces from today. The exhibits ‘sacred,’ such asofa talisGood as it getsspan Tulsithe (played by Smriti Irani) Kyunki Saas Bhimanic Kabhi Bahu Thimade embodied adarsh shirt fromthestarched Bharatiya naari or the inscribed good girl rv moorthy cotton, in ink, with red and gold paint, from the 15th century, to the ‘splendid,’ such as a woman adarshan’s Bharatiya that cotton naari upper (whatever garment with meant) and the badmetal woman, vamp,silver was coloured foil,the gilded thoroughly Manoj Kumar stripswesternised. and sequins, dating backmoto vies (such as Upkar, 1967), where affluence and 1800–50. western culture were founts while vir“The exhibition is the firstoftoevil fully explore tue in the desi conservative lifestyle, thelay incredibly richand world of handmade texturned thisIndia,” representation a caricature. tiles from says Crill into — a senior curator The V&A’s vamp Asian went nearly out of fashion as femat the department, and an author inist ideas spread, consumer culture dissociatof the book The Fabric of India which will aced guilt from Indians company thegratification, exhibition —and in an email tasted interthe fruits ofgive western education. view. “It will an overview fromThe theheroine earliest came toIndian have atextile bit of the vamp too her: now known fragments to in contemposhe voiced herand desire, and rary fashion, will asserted illustrateher therights technical showed an occasional streak. But it took mastery and creativitymean of Indian textiles.” Karenjit Kaur to actually subvert the Some of the Vohra breathtaking pieces include a good girl-bad binaryshawl with her cityscape on a girl pashmina fromcomplete, the 19th built-in bad girl — Sunny century, a muslin borderLeone. embroidered with A confident, self-made iridescent beetle wings, Indo-Canadian, a cotton dyed Vohand ra is a devoted wife who flaunts conjugal painted floor spread from the her Coromandel life, keeps away fromand affairs, bonds her coast (dated to 1630), a tent madewith for Tipu brother“The andtent visits gurudwaras and temples. Sultan. is cotton, block-printed, morBut her double, Leone,dyed is a taboo-breaking, bidant-dyed and resist in floral motifs,” sexual porn who challenges of says Crill. “It star dates from 1725-1750 item and isgirls more
Fade out Innuendos, double entendre and suggestive dance moves are all part of the metaphorical code that we use to suggest the possibility of sex reuters/kim hong-ji
Bollywood by embodying two flowers in an embrace to signify an amothe new sexual freedom, rous event. But when the code got elaborate, which affluence and activ- even a die-hard Freudian would blush with ism have brought home. embarrassment — the rains, the wet clothes, However, Vohra and Leone the deep, dark cave and a flickering fire lit by should not be seen only in an enterprising hero. The entire mise-en-scene juxtaposition; they are in conspired to relay the meaning of what was constant interplay, each fash- going to soon happen. In a more academic verioning the other. Vohra is hot sion, with ample help from anthropology, the because her meaning is tam- hero and heroine would stray into a forest and pered by the codes of Leone; and reach a village where drunk tribals danced Leone is acceptable because she wildly and sang their deep-throated songs. carries the connotation of Vohra. The gaunt tribal man and his plump woman What makes a porn star such a darling were idealised sexual types. It took our filmof Indian masses is the sugmakers a rather long detour gestion that Vohra the good girl through pre-historic times to carries the possibilities of Leone simply convey that the hero than 58 square metres size.acWe don’t know tions are beingand included within the dynamic the bad girl. And when in Leone heroine are going to make exactly used industry. at designers use quires ahow hint itofwas Vohra, she—ison nocampaign love. The Ramsay who Brothers Radhe or Maa and SunnyWe looked purely — but it was amongLeone the ‘Ti-compel handustechniques in imaginative or innovative longer for thepleasure traditional Bollywood found inventive ways of insertto pu removed from his palace atunlearn Seringa-what ways,” says Patel, of India sexrelics’ symbol — that well-endowed, ing the sexauthor sideways intoContemhorror we learn patam after hiswho defeat by the British 1799.” sex from porarythe Design: Fashion, Interiors. sultry woman, symbolised a inabout stories. Graphics, Their ketchup-covered Thensecret, there transgressive is the discarded “We want to explore how dark, sexghosts found humanity atthe its pope, Freud, the Ram wall discovbeing updated beualityhanging (often awhich Southwas Indian for Sene goons, the police sari mostis vulnerable in theand female ered in racial Brooklyn’s East Side. It coming more fashionable to a the sly suggestion of priof the species in a see-through that raids couples in measures almost Her 17 metres in younger The bed sari by mordial passion). sexuality negligeegeneration. alone in her at hotels, the feminist We want to explore length is designed to decoKallol unconventionrefractsand through a globalised night.Datta It wasisaan standard tactic to and the agony aunt how the sari is being rate a whole room.and Created in the alpull adaptation very familiar consumer culture a Punjabicrowds, of buta it would cerupdated and early it depictsgood a paitem of have dress.found The suicide ness 20th thatcentury, symbolises tainly Freud print nodbecoming more rade of abundance, people andfertility elephants, on the and blouse along health, and ding in sari approval. fashionable to a with a wideThat’s range why of fabrics apwith a shoe-tread print underaffability. Leone’s Innuendos, double entendre younger generation pliquéd hand. skirt aremoves madewere using theparts silk porn is by not the dark, secret affair that be- and suggestive dance other “We are luckypeople to have hugeinternet cafes of the metaphorical screen code. printing process, which longed to shifty in aseedy Sexual meaning recollection textiles, and isinanother handmade or huddlesofinIndian student dorms. It is out in the mained buried these metaphors. It wastechonly in addition we have received gennique,” says Patel. Oncreating display isa open — a gleaming, shopping-mall sexuality, hinted at, however elaborately, erous individuals and houndstooth sari designed by Abraham whichloans does from not have the thrill ofinstitutions the contra- also flashaof understanding. The suggestive imaginternationally. There are so many Sex wonderful which pairs sari with in longband or the delights of thievery. bombs & eryThakore, was foregrounded andthe sex remained the pieces could havewere included, the difficulty shirtsLeone and belts. such aswe Silk Smitha the subtext of a so- sleeved background. has subverted this code by was in superego deciding what to leave out,” says Crill. This exhibition is aforeground. fitting tribute botha cialist that had disciplined aesthetic bringing it all to the She to is not The exhibition also has a cinema. cotemporary col- the heritage and the of India’s expression in literature and metaphor where we future understand one fabrics. thing in lection, which is inspired by ancient forms. terms (‘The of Fabric of India’She runshas fromplaced 3 October to another. the2015 foreThe have chosen interesting design- 10 January 2016 the at Victoria and Albert The curators Bollywood code ground beside background and Museum, brought ers such as Kallol Dutta andthe Abraham and ThaLeone has not only killed Bollywood sex London, the two UK) incompatible worlds together — of the kore, instead of the obvious who whore and the girl-next-door. Leone’s rhetoric symbol that signified a dark, candidates secret sexuality, is awhore Mumbai-based specialise in wedding trousseaus. “We code. wanted but has erased an entire metaphorical At mitali aims toparekh show the in the journalist girl and and the girl the final section explore how textile its simplest, the to Bollywood sexual codetradihad columnist in the whore while also upsetting other bina-
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FILM FATALE
Lies, damned lies & statistics Three months since FTII students went on strike against crucial government appointments to their institute, the propaganda war against them continues
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hey’ve been called “anti-Hindu”, “Naxals”, “freeloaders” and “Sonia’s followers” among other things. In the three months since they began their strike against certain crucial appointments to the governing council of Pune’s Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), all sorts of labels have been bestowed upon students of this prestigious establishment by ruling party spokespersons and supporters. If the newly appointed FTII chairperson Gajendra Chauhan has displayed an exceptionally thick skin in bearing the open ridicule of his credentials across media platforms during this period, the students are no less than dermatological wonders. June 12 was the first day of the strike. Irrespective of how the Central Government resolves this impasse, one thing needs to be said: that the defence of Chauhan has been done through an insidious propaganda exercise aimed at maligning both FTII and its student body. Every propagandist knows the efficacy of mixing slivers of facts with large helpings of fiction to confuse the public. Repeat such grey People like us Radhe Maa and Sunny lies often enough and even well-intentioned Leone are part of a growing trend of a mediapersons could be convinced de-eroticised sexuality rendered everyday that they are routine truisms. and by the market vivek bendre; pti No better example of this strategy is required than these ‘accusations’ thrown at FTII ries of traditional rebel, student rep YashasviPunjabi/American Misra by Rakesh Sinha — heterosexual/bisexual, glamorous/domestic, representative of the ruling BJP’s ideological moral/immoral and ethnic/global. She liberparent, the RSS — during an NDTV debate on ates sexuality and right-wing August 19. “Infrom the the last left17 years there was clino chés by creating between the convocation in new that meanings institution…,” Sinha obvious stereotypes of a dutiful a raged. “There are students fromwife the and 2008 hungry whore. batches… for the last eight or nine years they goodthere.” girl-bad girl interplay also areLeone’s overstaying mirrors confusion our figure westernising socieFrom aall accounts,inthat of 17 years is ty pertaining to the question of ‘What empowers women’? Is it open sexual expression or a challenge to the male gaze? She has mixed the two opposing languages of the Manoj Kumar movies and forces us to interpret each anew. She is popular not for only being a porn star but for putting more meaning in porn than just sex. She has taken sexuality beyond the Bollywood conventions and deployed it to expose our own social and cultural infirmities. By coding sexuality with provocative ideas, Leone may well signal the end of media that thrives on nudity. Just like porn mags died after the internet, after Leone it might become increasingly superfluous for engine oil ads to feature erotic women or for magazines to carry sex surveys to boost circulation. She has also made the job harder for the many Poonam Pandeys who get quick and easy publicity by shedding their clothes.
correct, but here’s a question: how is the cur- made to undermine the striking students. It is rent crop of students to blame for this? Convo- possible too that the ground is being precations are organised by educational pared for privatisation of the institute in the institutions, not by students. Besides, the 17 future. That could explain why an impression years leading up to 2015 would include BJP’s has been created that FTII alumni of the past own brief term in the ruling alliance at the couple of decades have been worthless. Centre, followed by the party’s 1999-2004 During a debate in early July on Times Now, reign, then the two successive Congress-led actor Anupam Kher said: “In the last 15, 20 coalitions from 2004-2014 and finally, the past years… FTII has gone to dogs.” (sic) Kher’s one year with BJP at the Centre. So, rather than comment was significant because it came an FTII student, shouldn’t Sinha explain why even as he, an unapologetic BJP supporter, critconvocations haven’t been held? icised the selection of Chauhan. As for the much-maligned 2008 batch, it Gajendra Foot-In-The-Mouth Chauhan was took journalist Mridula Chari to point out on himself widely quoted in the press soon after Scroll.in that they, on the conhis appointment as saying: “Bartrary, were victims: FTII reportring Rajkumar Hirani, the instiedly “doubled the size of its tute has not produced any student body”, without increasimportant artiste.” He later inHow is the current ing infrastructure, after a Susisted that what he had actually crop of students to preme Court order that said was: “In the ’60s and ’70s the blame for this? government institutions should world knew the FTII students Convocations are raise the number of reserved who passed out... Especially after organised by category seats “even while it Rajkumar Hirani, the common educational maintained the number of genman doesn’t know...” (Source: institutions, not by eral seats”. Result: students rediff.com) students struggling for facilities to create Well then, he should be edutheir mandatory graduation cating the common people. In film. The 2008 batch apparently the nearly three decades since Hi“were particularly unfortunate” rani graduated, droves of FTII because, according to FTII alumalumni have earned national and nus Jabeen Merchant who is quoted in the ar- international laurels. and domestic she doesn’t tions. While hasthe been accused ofincluding holding religion ticle: “At oneshe point institution, Resul Pookutty, a 1995life, graduate, is an shock Oscar kirtans and forcing people sex, what appear regular. lewd the administration and the dean,into realised that but andmakes BAFTAitwinning sound artiste. And from we from her online photographs and theSo, arebatch Leone and Radhe thedirector new avathe know backlog would spin out for all future 2011 comes AvinashMaa Arun, of videos is that she decided loves to flaunt her body re- tars eros who sex from its various batches. So they to contain the in damKilla,ofwhich wonliberate 2014’s National Award for vealing models stars.after She politics and articulate essential age by clothes giving like priority to and the film batches Best Marathi Film and aits Crystal Bearmeaning? in the catrevels her glamourised self. Her theyofstrip sexabout of all its veils andatpresent it in them. in Students admitted later havedevotees, finished Do egory films children the Berlin most of whomfilms seemwhile to come primary voluptuousness? Ononly the measure, contrary, their diploma thefrom 2008conservastudents its Film Festival. If money is your tive backgrounds, don’t mind it at all. they partChauhan, of a growing trend in of big a de-eroticontinue to wait their turn.” then are FYI Mr Killa raked cash at For of athe modernofbabas and gurus, sexuality rendered everyday and routine Thismost is just sampler the effort being cised theatres this year; if Bollywood is your only arsexuality is a matter of regulatheFYI market. Maa starea of interest,by then Arun isRadhe also the cinemation, control and sublimation. from billboards, brantographer ofing thedown Ajay Devgn-starrer Drishyam trishul, is an Sex is useful only for its procreamini two and Masaan,dishing which her received prizes at tive purpose. They prescribe sexCannes 2015. advertisement of instant grace. She is a pastiche tradition and ual routines and regimens and Other figures of who graduated Leone’s porn is not significant modernity, of religion and comtell women to produce more the dark, secret from FTII in 2000 or thereafter include: affair merce. be her children in the service of reliGurvinder Singh, Sexuality director seems of the to multiple that belonged to marketing gimmick. sexgion. When religion posits sex as shifty peopleNational Punjabi Leone’s film Anhey in seedy Award-winning articulation is through lansin, there are only two ways to Ghorhey Daan (2011) and Chauthi aKoot, internet cafes. It is Da ual guage of which has engage with it — compliance which forthe themarket, Un Certain Regard out in the open — was a selected eroticised consumption and deand defiance. section at Cannes this year. gleaming, shoppingeroticised sex — a pizzafor or Vishal a moRadhe Maa neither complies Pankaj Kumar, cinematographer mall sexuality bile phone sexyAnand while in its porwith the religious code of sexBhardwaj’s Haider (2014)isand Gandhi’s nographic abundance, sex is uality like most other gurus, nor Ship of Theseus (2013). instant and ready-made, devoid wilfully defies it like Osho RajDirector Umesh Kulkarni who is at the foreimagination and improvineesh. Her sexuality sits easy front of whatofisits seen as a Marathi cinema ReLeone is able to normalise sex, which with the religiosity she projects. It does not in- sation. naissance in the past decade. earlierAward-winning only be metaphorical, by actor comvolve the ISKCON-type eroticised but celibate could National Bollywood In (Shahid, a hypersexual consumerist devotion. She dances to popular Bollywood modifying Rajkummarit.Rao Queen, CityLights). you can talkwinner of sex just as youcinematalk of love songs and poses in revealing pink dress- world, National Award G Murali, goods. The market has de-eroties. That she does it openly and not in a secret consumer tographer of the Tamil films Madras (2014) sex by making it instant, double life proves that she dares to mix the cised Beyond religion and Rajinikanth’s next, Kabali. abundant and just it once de-revolutionised Cinema represents our social view of sex. That profane with the pious and invent a religiosity standardised And… That’s theaspoint, there is not enough himlist. on T-shirts and sex can be discussed only in whispers and that does not follow the sexual codes of main- Che roomGuevera here forby anputting exhaustive mugs. metaphors is an idea that arose from religion, stream religion. She allows us to perceive sex coffee It’s not about being anti/pro-BJP/Congress/ In a manner of speaking, Radhe and where most of our taboos are manufactured. as a normal human activity and consider reli- Left/Hindus/Naxals. There is only oneMaa position us battle, into a and post-erotic age Religions — except for a few traditions such as gion as an inclusive practice that does not Sunny worth Leone takingusher in this that, dear sex loses isitspro-cinema. romance and imagination tantra — find sex impure, so they restrict it to thrive on taboos. Like Radhe Maa’s representa- where propagandists, the business of procreation. If Leone under- tion, Leone’s life and career also stress the ev- by becoming routine and commonplace. mines the cinematic language of sexuality, erydayness of sex as against its exoticisation anna mm vetticad is the author of The Adventures dharminder kumar a Delhi-based writer Doing us proud A still from alumnusinterpretaAvinash Arun’s award-winning MarathiLeone film Killa (2014)sexuality with of an Intrepid Film Criticis t@annavetticad in cinema. When mixes Radhe Maa challenges itsFTII religious
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One horn ahead Located 48km from Guwahati, Pobitora is a wildlife sanctuary with an impressive track record against poaching
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uccess stories are few and far between when it comes to conservation in India. But Pobitora is one happy exception. According to the 2012 rhino census, the population of the one-horned rhino has increased from 54 in 1987 to 93 in 2012. While Kaziranga National Park continues to make headlines for rampant rhino poaching, Pobitora has successfully prevented it. A 38.81 sq km reserve, Pobitora was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1998 and today boasts one of the highest densities of one-horned rhinos in the world and the second-highest rhino population in India (after Kaziranga). Rhinos from Pobitora have also been translocated to Manas National Park, which was on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list for a decline in the numbers of the onehorned beast. Local people have taken a keen interest in Pobitora, which augurs well for its long-term conservation prospects. The sanctuary recorded zero poaching from 2007-10 — with only one rhino falling prey in 2012 — thanks to the joint endeavour of forest personnel, the local people and NGOs. Situated near the Brahmaputra river and surrounded by farmland villages, Pobitora is just 48km from Guwahati city, in Morigaon district. Located so close to the capital, it has become a popular tourist destination. It also makes for a convenient stopover for visitors heading to Kaziranga, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Pobitora is a swampy marshland, which makes it a perfect habitat for the rhino, wild buffalo, wild boar and many reptiles. It is also famous for its rich birdlife, especially during winter, when it attracts a large number of feathered visitors. Storks, falcon, and fish eagle are found here throughout the year. Walk me A forest guard on vigil as a rhino seeks shelter on high land to escape the floodwaters at Pobitora. A female rhino was killed during the flood last month
Safe and sound Pobitora is a beacon of hope for Kaziranga and Manas, both plagued by poaching
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Let’s make it fast Wild water buffaloes are also one of the main attractions in Pobitora. While the reserve remains ooded due to heavy rains in Assam, this duo seems to be enjoying a race in the waters
Looking for a dry patch A Pobitora resident, in its search for grasslands, walks dangerously close to a highvoltage electric post
Up close Tourists at Pobitora before it closed for the monsoon in June. The sanctuary reopens in November
Neighbourhood watch Forest guards keep an eye on the reserve from a makeshift camp
Fly away home Migratory birds make winters a good season to visit Pobitora. Its proximity to Guwahati is an added advantage for tourists
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Stitch in time (Clockwise from below) Muslin border embroidered with beetle wings, probably from 19th-century Hyderabad victoria and albert museum, london Houndstooth sari in double ikat silk by Abraham and Thakore courtesy abraham & thakore; a map shawl in woollen embroidery from 19th-century Kashmir victoria and albert museum, london
Warp and weft of India ‘The Fabric of India’, to be held in London, will be the first major exhibition to explore the country’s handmade textiles, spanning from the third century to the present day
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oarders everywhere, you stand vindicated: A wall hanging found discarded on a New York pavement has made it to London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). The piece, made by the Kathi community of Kathiawar, was found on the pavement by an art appraiser in the 1990s. The finder, Jerome Burns, then gifted it to the V&A in 1994, where it was restored by specialists and will go on display for the first time next month. Rosemary Crill and Divia Patel have curated ‘The Fabric of India’ exhibition (supported by lifestyle brand Good Earth), which brings together the rich textile history of the country. The collection of 200 objects includes handmade textiles that date back to the third century as well as pieces from today. The exhibits ‘sacred,’ such asofa talisGood as it getsspan Tulsi the (played by Smriti Irani) Kyunki Saas Bhi manic Kabhi Bahu Thimade embodied thestarched adarsh shirt from Bharatiya naari or the good girl rv moorthy cotton, inscribed in ink, with red and gold paint, from the 15th century, to the ‘splendid,’ such as a woman adarshan’s Bharatiya that cotton naari upper (whatever garment with meant) and the badmetal woman, vamp,silver was coloured foil,the gilded thoroughly westernised. Manoj Kumar strips and sequins, dating backmoto vies (such as Upkar, 1967), where affluence and 1800–50. western culture were founts while vir“The exhibition is the firstoftoevil fully explore tue in the desi conservative lifestyle, thelay incredibly richand world of handmade texturned thisIndia,” representation a caricature. tiles from says Crillinto — a senior curator vamp Asian went nearly out of fashion as femat The the V&A’s department, and an author inist ideas spread, consumer culture dissociatof the book The Fabric of India which will aced guilt from Indians company thegratification, exhibition —and in an emailtasted interthe ofgive western education. view.fruits “It will an overview fromThe theheroine earliest came toIndian have atextile bit of the vamp too her: now known fragments toin contemposhe voiced herand desire, and rary fashion, will asserted illustrateher therights technical showed an occasional streak. But it took mastery and creativitymean of Indian textiles.” Karenjit Kaur to actually subvert thea Some of the Vohra breathtaking pieces include good girl-bad binaryshawl with her complete, cityscape on a girl pashmina from the 19th built-in bad girl — Sunny century, a muslin borderLeone. embroidered with A confident, self-made iridescent beetle wings, Indo-Canadian, a cotton dyed Vohand ra is a devoted wife who flaunts conjugal painted floor spread from the her Coromandel life, keeps away fromand affairs, bonds her coast (dated to 1630), a tent madewith for Tipu brother“The andtent visits gurudwaras and temples. Sultan. is cotton, block-printed, morBut her double, Leone,dyed is a taboo-breaking, bidant-dyed and resist in floral motifs,” sexual porn who challenges girls of says Crill. “Itstar dates from 1725-1750item and is more
Fade out Innuendos, double entendre and suggestive dance moves are all part of the metaphorical code that we use to suggest the possibility of sex reuters/kim hong-ji
Bollywood by embodying two flowers in an embrace to signify an amothe new sexual freedom, rous event. But when the code got elaborate, which affluence and activ- even a die-hard Freudian would blush with ism have brought home. embarrassment — the rains, the wet clothes, However, Vohra and Leone the deep, dark cave and a flickering fire lit by should not be seen only in an enterprising hero. The entire mise-en-scene juxtaposition; they are in conspired to relay the meaning of what was constant interplay, each fash- going to soon happen. In a more academic verioning the other. Vohra is hot sion, with ample help from anthropology, the because her meaning is tam- hero and heroine would stray into a forest and pered by the codes of Leone; and reach a village where drunk tribals danced Leone is acceptable because she wildly and sang their deep-throated songs. carries the connotation of Vohra. The gaunt tribal man and his plump woman What makes a porn star such a darling were idealised sexual types. It took our filmof Indian masses is the sugmakers a rather long detour gestion that Vohra the good girl through pre-historic times to carries the possibilities of Leone simply convey that the hero than 58 girl. square metres size.acWe don’t know tions are beingand included the dynamic the bad And when in Leone heroinewithin are going to make exactly used or and industry. lookedThe at designers use quires ahow hint itofwas Vohra, she—ison nocampaign Ramsay who Brothers Radhe Maa SunnyWe love. purely — but it was amongLeone the ‘Ti-compel hand in imaginative or innovative longer for thepleasure traditional Bollywood found inventive ways of insertustechniques to pu removed from his palace atunlearn Seringa-what ways,” says Patel, of India sexrelics’ symbol — that well-endowed, ing the sexauthor sideways into Contemhorror we learn patam after hiswho defeat by the British 1799.” sex from porarythe Design: Fashion, Interiors. sultry woman, symbolised a inabout stories. Graphics, Their ketchup-covered Thensecret, there transgressive is the discarded “We want to explore how dark, sexghosts found humanity at the its pope, Freud, the Ram wall discovbeing updated beualityhanging (often awhich Southwas Indian for Sene goons, the police sari mostis vulnerable in theand female ered inracial Brooklyn’s East Side. coming more fashionable to a the sly suggestion of pri-It of the species in a see-through that raids couples in measures almost Her 17 metres in younger The bed sari by mordial passion). sexuality negligeegeneration. alone in her at hotels, the feminist We want to explore length is designed to decoKallol unconventionrefractsand through a globalised night.Datta It wasisaan standard tactic to and the agony aunt how the sari is being rate a whole room.and Created in the alpull adaptation of a it very familiar consumer culture a Punjabicrowds, but would cerupdated and early it depictsgood a paitem dress.found The suicide ness 20th thatcentury, symbolises tainlyof have Freud print nodbecoming more rade ofabundance, people andfertility elephants, on the sari and blouse along health, and ding in approval. fashionable to a with a wideThat’s range why of fabrics apwith a shoe-tread print underaffability. Leone’s Innuendos, double entendre younger generation pliquéd skirt aremoves madewere using theparts silk porn is by nothand. the dark, secret affair that be- and suggestive dance other “We are luckypeople to have hugeinternet cafes of the metaphorical screen code. printing process, which longed to shifty in aseedy Sexual meaning recollection textiles, isin another handmade or huddlesofinIndian student dorms.and It is out in the mained buried these metaphors. It wastechonly in addition we have received gen- sexuality, hinted at, however nique,” says Patel. Oncreating display isa open — a gleaming, shopping-mall elaborately, erous individuals and houndstooth sari designed by Abraham whichloans does from not have the thrill of institutions the contra- also flashaof understanding. The suggestive imaginternationally. There are so manySex wonderful which pairs sari with in longband or the delights of thievery. bombs & eryThakore, was foregrounded andthe sex remained the pieces could havewere included, the difficulty shirtsLeone and belts. such aswe Silk Smitha the subtext of a so- sleeved background. has subverted this code by was insuperego deciding what to leave out,” says Crill. This exhibition is aforeground. fitting tribute botha cialist that had disciplined aesthetic bringing it all to the She to is not The exhibition also has cotemporary col- the heritage and the of India’s expression in literature anda cinema. metaphor where we future understand one fabrics. thing in lection, which is inspired by ancient forms. terms (‘The of Fabric of India’She runshas fromplaced 3 October to another. the2015 foreThe Bollywood curators have chosen interesting design- 10 January 2016 the at Victoria and Albert code ground beside background and Museum, brought ers such as Kallol Dutta andthe Abraham and ThaUK) Leone has not only killed Bollywood sex London, the two incompatible worlds together — of the kore, instead of the obvious who whore and the girl-next-door. Leone’s rhetoric symbol that signified a dark, candidates secret sexuality, is awhore Mumbai-based journalist specialise in wedding trousseaus. “We code. wanted but has erased an entire metaphorical At mitali aims toparekh show the in the girl and and the girl the final section explore how textile its simplest, the to Bollywood sexual codetradihad columnist in the whore while also upsetting other bina-
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watch cover
saturday, september 12, 2015
FILM FATALE
Lies, damned lies & statistics Three months since FTII students went on strike against crucial government appointments to their institute, the propaganda war against them continues
anna mm vetticad
T
hey’ve been called “anti-Hindu”, “Naxals”, “freeloaders” and “Sonia’s followers” among other things. In the three months since they began their strike against certain crucial appointments to the governing council of Pune’s Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), all sorts of labels have been bestowed upon students of this prestigious establishment by ruling party spokespersons and supporters. If the newly appointed FTII chairperson Gajendra Chauhan has displayed an exceptionally thick skin in bearing the open ridicule of his credentials across media platforms during this period, the students are no less than dermatological wonders. June 12 was the first day of the strike. Irrespective of how the Central Government resolves this impasse, one thing needs to be said: that the defence of Chauhan has been done through an insidious propaganda exercise aimed at maligning both FTII and its student body. Every propagandist knows the efficacy of mixing slivers of facts with large helpings of fiction to confuse the public. Repeat such grey People like us Radhe Maa and Sunny lies often enough and even well-intentioned Leone are part of a growing trend of a mediapersons could be convinced de-eroticised sexuality rendered everyday that they are routine truisms. and by the market vivek bendre; pti No better example of this strategy is required than these ‘accusations’ thrown at FTII ries of rep traditional rebel, student YashasviPunjabi/American Misra by Rakesh Sinha — heterosexual/bisexual, glamorous/domestic, representative of the ruling BJP’s ideological moral/immoral ethnic/global. She liberparent, the RSS —and during an NDTV debate on ates sexuality the leftand right-wing August 19. “Infrom the last 17 years there was clino chés by creating between the convocation in new that meanings institution…,” Sinha obvious stereotypes of a dutiful raged. “There are students fromwife the and 2008a hungry whore. batches… for the last eight or nine years they goodthere.” girl-bad girl interplay also areLeone’s overstaying mirrors our figure westernising socieFrom aallconfusion accounts,inthat of 17 years is ty pertaining to the question of ‘What empowers women’? Is it open sexual expression or a challenge to the male gaze? She has mixed the two opposing languages of the Manoj Kumar movies and forces us to interpret each anew. She is popular not for only being a porn star but for putting more meaning in porn than just sex. She has taken sexuality beyond the Bollywood conventions and deployed it to expose our own social and cultural infirmities. By coding sexuality with provocative ideas, Leone may well signal the end of media that thrives on nudity. Just like porn mags died after the internet, after Leone it might become increasingly superfluous for engine oil ads to feature erotic women or for magazines to carry sex surveys to boost circulation. She has also made the job harder for the many Poonam Pandeys who get quick and easy publicity by shedding their clothes.
correct, but here’s a question: how is the cur- made to undermine the striking students. It is rent crop of students to blame for this? Convo- possible too that the ground is being precations are organised by educational pared for privatisation of the institute in the institutions, not by students. Besides, the 17 future. That could explain why an impression years leading up to 2015 would include BJP’s has been created that FTII alumni of the past own brief term in the ruling alliance at the couple of decades have been worthless. Centre, followed by the party’s 1999-2004 During a debate in early July on Times Now, reign, then the two successive Congress-led actor Anupam Kher said: “In the last 15, 20 coalitions from 2004-2014 and finally, the past years… FTII has gone to dogs.” (sic) Kher’s one year with BJP at the Centre. So, rather than comment was significant because it came an FTII student, shouldn’t Sinha explain why even as he, an unapologetic BJP supporter, critconvocations haven’t been held? icised the selection of Chauhan. As for the much-maligned 2008 batch, it Gajendra Foot-In-The-Mouth Chauhan was took journalist Mridula Chari to point out on himself widely quoted in the press soon after Scroll.in that they, on the conhis appointment as saying: “Bartrary, were victims: FTII reportring Rajkumar Hirani, the instiedly “doubled the size of its tute has not produced any student body”, without increasimportant artiste.” He later inHow is the current ing infrastructure, after a Susisted that what he had actually crop of students to preme Court order that said was: “In the ’60s and ’70s the blame for this? government institutions should world knew the FTII students Convocations are raise the number of reserved who passed out... Especially after organised by category seats “even while it Rajkumar Hirani, the common educational maintained the number of genman doesn’t know...” (Source: institutions, not by eral seats”. Result: students rediff.com) students struggling for facilities to create Well then, he should be edutheir mandatory graduation cating the common people. In film. The 2008 batch apparently the nearly three decades since Hi“were particularly unfortunate” rani graduated, droves of FTII because, according to FTII alumalumni have earned national and nus Jabeen Merchant who is quoted in the ar- international laurels. and domestic she doesn’t tions. While hasthe been accused ofincluding holding religion ticle: “At oneshe point institution, Resul Pookutty, a 1995life, graduate, is an shock Oscar kirtans and forcing people sex, what appear regular. lewd the administration and the dean,into realised that but and makes BAFTA itwinning sound artiste. And from we from her online photographs and theSo, arebatch Leone and Radhe thedirector new avathe know backlog would spin out for all future 2011 comes AvinashMaa Arun, of videos is that she decided loves to flaunt her body in re- tars eros who sex from its various batches. So they to contain the damKilla,ofwhich wonliberate 2014’s National Award for vealing models stars.after She politics and articulate essential age by clothes giving like priority to and the film batches Best Marathi Film and aits Crystal Bearmeaning? in the catrevels her glamourised self. Her theyofstrip sexabout of all its veils andatpresent it in them. in Students admitted later havedevotees, finished Do egory films children the Berlin most of whomfilms seemwhile to come primary voluptuousness? Ononly the measure, contrary, their diploma the from 2008conservastudents its Film Festival. If money is your tive backgrounds, don’t mind it at all. they partChauhan, of a growing trend in of big a de-eroticontinue to wait their turn.” then are FYI Mr Killa raked cash at For of athe modern and gurus, sexuality rendered everyday and routine Thismost is just sampler ofbabas the effort being cised theatres this year; if Bollywood is your only arsexuality is a matter of regulatheFYI market. starea of interest,by then Arun isRadhe also theMaa cinemation, control and sublimation. from billboards, brantographer ofing thedown Ajay Devgn-starrer Drishyam trishul, is an Sex is useful only for its procreamini two and Masaan,dishing which her received prizes at tive purpose. They prescribe sexCannes 2015. advertisement of instant grace. She is a pastiche of tradition and ual routines and regimens and Other figures who graduated Leone’s porn is not significant modernity, of religion and comtell women to produce more the dark, secret from FTII in 2000 or thereafter include: affair merce. seems be her children in the service of reliGurvinder Singh, Sexuality director of the to multiple that belonged to marketing gimmick. sexgion. When religion posits sex as shifty peopleNational Punjabi Leone’s film Anhey in seedy Award-winning articulation is through lansin, there are only two ways to Ghorhey Daan (2011) and Chauthi aKoot, internet cafes. It is Da ual guage of which has engage with it — compliance which forthe themarket, Un Certain Regard out in the open — was a selected eroticised consumption and deand defiance. section at Cannes this year. gleaming, shoppingeroticised sex — a pizzafor or Vishal a moRadhe Maa neither complies Pankaj Kumar, cinematographer mall sexuality bile phone sexyAnand while in its porwith the religious code of sexBhardwaj’s Haider (2014)isand Gandhi’s nographic abundance, sex is uality like most other gurus, nor Ship of Theseus (2013). instant and ready-made, devoid wilfully defies it like Osho RajDirector Umesh Kulkarni who is at the foreimagination and improvineesh. Her sexuality sits easy front of whatofisits seen as a Marathi cinema ReLeone is able to normalise sex, which with the religiosity she projects. It does not in- sation. naissance in the past decade. earlierAward-winning only be metaphorical, by actor comvolve the ISKCON-type eroticised but celibate could National Bollywood In(Shahid, a hypersexual consumerist devotion. She dances to popular Bollywood modifying Rajkummarit.Rao Queen, CityLights). you can talkwinner of sex just as youcinematalk of love songs and poses in revealing pink dress- world, National Award G Murali, goods. The market has de-eroties. That she does it openly and not in a secret consumer tographer of the Tamil films Madras (2014) sex by making it instant, double life proves that she dares to mix the cised Beyond religion and Rajinikanth’s next, Kabali. abundant and just it once de-revolutionised Cinema represents our social view of sex. That profane with the pious and invent a religiosity standardised And… That’s theaspoint, there is not enough himlist. on T-shirts and sex can be discussed only in whispers and that does not follow the sexual codes of main- Che roomGuevera here forby anputting exhaustive mugs. metaphors is an idea that arose from religion, stream religion. She allows us to perceive sex coffee It’s not about being anti/pro-BJP/Congress/ In a manner of speaking, Radhe and where most of our taboos are manufactured. as a normal human activity and consider reli- Left/Hindus/Naxals. There is only oneMaa position us battle, into a and post-erotic age Religions — except for a few traditions such as gion as an inclusive practice that does not Sunny worth Leone taking usher in this that, dear sex losesisitspro-cinema. romance and imagination tantra — find sex impure, so they restrict it to thrive on taboos. Like Radhe Maa’s representa- where propagandists, the business of procreation. If Leone under- tion, Leone’s life and career also stress the ev- by becoming routine and commonplace. mines the cinematic language of sexuality, erydayness of sex as against its exoticisation anna mm vetticad is the author of The Adventures dharminder kumar a Delhi-based writer Doing us proud A still from alumnusinterpretaAvinash Arun’s award-winning MarathiLeone film Killa (2014)sexuality with of an Intrepid Film Criticis t@annavetticad in cinema. When mixes Radhe Maa challenges itsFTII religious
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UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY
This side or that In some cases, crossing a line can bring you closer to hope and freedom
Crimson tide Sirajuddin Ahmed, who lost more than 40 members of his large family on February 18, 1983, believes there is no “justice in the world” courtesy subasri krishnan
The forgotten riot How do we remember massacres? How do we, as individuals and a collective, remember it and memorialise it for history? A documentary on the Nellie carnage attempts to answer these questions
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Life’s like that
young Kashmiri or the first 10 minutes of What the but what was the child’s fault?’” says Abdul have moved on in veryA different ways. For looks Fields Remember, it’s all quiet on the Khayer, 20 minutes into the film, recounting Ahmed, there is “no justice in out thisfrom world”, and behind a damaged eastern front. The camera rests on the the events of February 18. He lost seven mem- for Khayer, citizenship iswall a of performance. He her house green fields, the brown river, and the bers of his family that day. gathers and displays meticulous records — in Dhair Bazar, men clad in white in the villages around NelFor six hours, mobs wielding machetes and land documents dating to 1935 and voter lists Madarpur sector, whichasked falls onquestions the lie. The rice crop sways gently. Logs of wood sickles attacked ‘Bangladeshis’ or ‘illegal im- from 1965 to 2010 — when Line of Control float down the Kopili river, while boats rest on migrants’. Houses were burnt down and about belonging. afp/sajjad qayyum its banks. Children ride bicycles on a kuchcha standing fields turned into pools of blood. Joshua Oppenheimer takes memorialisaroad; a man sings hymns to the martyrs of Feb- Eighty per cent of those who died were wom- tion even further in The Look of Silence (2015), ruary 18, 1983. Sixty-five-year-old Sirajuddin en, children and the elderly. Two months after the searing companion piece to Act of Killing Ahmed sitsinon the river bank, his back to the ended up Srinagar this Independence pogrom, compensation arrived —and ₹5,000 nate,the most people decided to stay indoors, (2012), perhaps, tomuch its conclusion where ple were right, she was more willing to viccamera. Beluguri 74-year-old Abdul Day. My In in-laws werevillage, supposed to leave for first survivors, ₹3,000 the injured, for the time since myforarrival at the and in- tin theirshe perpetrators. opentims/survivors up to a woman.confront It seems that had an Khayer his documents on a cotto — case for Hajj,arranges and my wife and I had decided to of rebuild homes.had Tilltapered date, none laws,sheets the flood well-wishers off. of Adi,husband. a travelling seeks hiskept brother abusive Heoptician, beat her, andout she files against the state Assam in the Gauhati spend some time withof them before that. I We sat those charge-sheeted ofsharing the 688stoFIRs filaround the drawing(299 room Ramli’s in the running awaymurderers. to her folksRamli . But was they killed had two High Court, prints of the Wikipedia page on also wanted to meet a professor at Kashmir been prosecuted. ries. ed) My has mother-in-law, who was among the children, 1965-66 in Indonesia. watches andgenocide the husband would visitHe after a the Nellie massacre, and a list ofwho people University’s Centre for Earth Sciences, has who Three decades on officers, July 15 this state’s first women civillater, service toldyear, us Asvideo footagefull of of death squad members couple of weeks, apologies, with the de32 some years ago. beendied doing excellent work on water is- aboutsam chief days minister Tarun her early at work. The topic turned kids in tow, and scribing gory detail what they did the in woman’s family would Subasri Krishnan’sDay 51-minute sues. But Independence in the documentary Kashmir towards Gogoi debate on the conflict force her to go therevived Line ofthe Control (LoC), to back. their neighbours. After years of such trauNellie massacre, which shot Valleyon is the always a little different fromwas what we over the National of Citithat continues to Register plague the state. “We off their heads and to penisma, the woman, incut desperation, decided one-and-a-half years, is not a reconstruction of “You experience in the rest of India. zens, bringing back ques- said, “there run across the know,” my mother-in-law es, LoC. and dumped them intofrom the river Her father hailed We hear adult men the dissident mass killing. It is,flew rather, a quiet Some groups green flagsreminder and are other tionsstories of whoofisthe anLoC Assamese as well. I remember somewhere in Snake. drank their blood, to not the We Jammu region, and she sob at their annual of what flag has become a bloody in histhe Pakistan on August 14, thefootnote day Pakiscitizen and methis strange case the thatviolent happened go crazy.that Weat cut women’s thought leastopen she would gathering on tory, a forgotten riot. tan celebrates independence, leading to the in the mories of Nellie Jammu sector during and my chests, you know what that looks be safe across the LoC.” February 18 each On February 1983,channels at the peak ofathe usual hysterics on TV18, news over 10- antiearlyKokrajhar. days in the service. This like? coconut full of holes,” “WeLike tried,” my fibre, mother-in-law year, and we see the foreigner agitation (the Assam movement), second video clip being played over and over would have “I was interested in’80s the been in the early theywith say. a sigh, “to find her relasaid Aftermemorial years of such Nellie grow 2,000 Bengali Muslims were again,more withthan anchors and commentators whip-killed — what is not public or so,questions when things were so Both join for a growing tives, or films a shelter her, butbody in of trauma, woman, derelictthe with time Nellie andinto 13 other villages in Assam, for deping in themselves a frenzy of self-righteous is not? What is bad. history, The LoCwhat was still there, but work around history, and vithe end we could not memory locate anyin desperation, an electoral called by the All Asrage.fying In Srinagar, whereboycott 99 per cent of the popcollective memory? not the level of artillery and Why rifle olence. viewers, theyJammu raise diffione. TheFor violence in the decided to run sam Students Union (AASU). days before, ulation became aware of this act ofFour dissidence don’twe wehad know more about fire that in the ’90s, or cult during questions: Who Partition carries the area and after across the LoC on February hundreds of Bengali Muslims because Indian TV14, channels beamed it relentsays the filmmaker, now. Nellie,” We would sometimes meet memories of ahundreds massacre. had displaced of How thou-does to poll booths exercise lesslyhad intomarched the homes of those whotocould nottheir whose previous works have dealt with ideas of one forget the military and civil service such And violence? we, as indisands. thenHow the do husband franchise as citizens in state care less, it resulted in curfew in a elections. few areas. By fromcitizenship (This or Person, 2012). viduals and the other side to That sortParticular out a collective, and mecame from the remember other side.itBoth day) when I came to the village August “(That 15 there was some confrontation be-juncsomewhere along the film, the question morialise small“But issues, especially of famfor history? What is Pajustice, ouritpeople and those of the tion, saw our forces peopleand leaving their homes. tween theI military militants in ilies that turned. Who forgot For the surwere divided bythe themassacre? LoC. acknowledgement or compensation? When kistani side threatened him with consequencI sawbut both sons hiding in alatpond. I “One northThen Kashmir, wemy learned of it much vivors, is no forgetting. film)Athen daythere I received a strange (The request. will he Khayer a citizen? If Ahmed es… And weptbecome and promised to take care of pretied one themnotosignal my back, the other. I woke upofwith onand my held mobile became about remembering,” says Krishnan. woman had crossed over from the other side, his wife, fers so notwe tohad talktoabout theher. massacre, Adi’s 100release I don’t know er All one,mobile and ran acrossinthe pond. I—finally phone. services Srinagar I do sat Fields asdo a peeand theWhat local the people didRemember not knowserves what to mother whatyear-old happened to hercan’t after stand that.” the sight of the whenabout we reached the of the Kopili not know the rest ofbanks the Kashmir Valley,river. into “physical with phole her. She wasthe arrested, butand afterpsychological a week, perpetrators in her neighbourhood. On the Freedom is a desperately personal thing. time, started toregions fire at us. muchAfter less some Jammu andthey its outlying — We survivors. Faded photographs whenmemories” it was clearof that she posed no threat, she The LoC, otherthe hand, the killers firmlyconflict, advise Adi to bunucleus of a bitter may ran down Mathaburi. While running, I lost had been suspended. glide in and frames, hear adult was released intoout theof care of thewe people from men the past, or else,for “it hundreds can happen be a ry symbol of horror of again” thou- — a over that my elder son’s an AssaWegrip laughed we were freehand, from and our mosob atwelfare their annual gathering on February the social service. They thought the 18 fear in Indonesia or Nellie, sands. In that somesurvivors, cases, however, it is a beacon of conmese person struck back with his at sickle. bile phones at least, but my appointment each year,talk andtowe the Nellie woman would me,see a female officer,memorial and hopetinue live with. and to freedom to those in suffering, for The University son who was oncertainly my backnot — the sickle split Kashmir was happengrow derelict time. The film takes us back so I went... It was a with sad story. thetheir Fields Remember will be screened reasons(What entirely own. his head in two. He died andand there. I “Itto ing. With security cordons acrossthen the city Nellie, Borbori, and Muladhari, was difficult at first. She spoke where with asurvi- at India International Centre, Delhi on September jumped into the river…which got up to and saw someno mobile service through coordilive next but door perpetrators, “going 19, as part of the Open FrametOmairTAhmad thickvors Pahari accent, thetosocial welfare peofilm festival.) one kill my other son. I called out to them and about the business of life.” In Sirajuddin said, ‘Maybe we had done something wrong, Ahmed and Abdul Khayer, we find people who priyanka kotamraju
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S S E N Y A D Y R EVE X E S OF
The screen saver Sunny Leone is popular not for only being a porn star but for putting more meaning in porn than just sex sandeep saxena
another language, the language of tradition. They could speak of sexual pleasure only by making an appeal to tradition for legitimacy — that’s why the name was Kamasutra. Who could object when it was all there in the old Hindu text? The later, Moment more popular Niof silence rodh ad that spoofed Kapoor Thethe livesRaj and deaths song Pyaar hua, iqraar haiWar belonged ofhua World victims belonging to the cinematic convention of to the double entendre,Commonwealth which we have countrieswith. are Who grown comfortable seldom could miss theacknowledged overarching prophylactic connotation of the umsr raghunathan brella, which saved the couple in torrential rain? The ad spoke of sex in the social language of safety and protection. Anjaan, and indeed most of us, are not used to sex being articulated in its own language, the language of pleasure. We are fine as long as we hear it in the language of the state, tradition, etc. But when it finds utterance in the unabashed language of pleasure, as in the Sunny Leone ad, we nah himself would note: “The war which no- warding experience. Khan is an intelligent, face a breach of moment meaningin and try body welcomed proved to be a blessing in compassionate guide to this time, to translate it into other disguise.” bringing depth and nuance notsome just to the Anjaan translated it into Khan is an associate Professor of History at events that language. we study in our history books but the language of that social the University of Oxford and no stranger to seeking beyond to those areoppression, neglected theBengal rape. famine. this period in South Asia — her first publica- such as the sex is getting dissociattion, The Great Partition: The Making of India and There isIncreasingly, a telling moment at the end of this ed fromthe languages which we got Pakistan, won the Gladstone Prize in 2007. In book where CongressinMinister inhave Madras, accustomed it. What you The Raj at War, Khan makes the assertion that Raghavan Menonto isfinding approached by do British makeCompton of Radhe Mackenzie Maa in ‘sinful’ shorts danc“Britain did not fight the Second World War, writer about a volume Bollywood songs andIndian Leone,experience dressed in the British Empire did”. There is an aspect to ing the to latter is writing on the andMenon’s ceremonial yellowleaves scarf, Mackenpraying this that is well known — after all the Indian aofkurta the war. response Siddhivinayak From Army accounted for a significant portion of at ziethe surprised: “He saidtemple? at once that heblasphewas not pop in star to New-Age Britain’s forces, and men from this country mous interested theMadonna book because he and meditahis parguru Osho Rajneesh, many fought and died in the Middle East, North Afri- tion ty had not considered it their war.”have mixed sex to shock their way to limeca, and Europe. By 1940, about 2 lakh soldiers religion It is anand argument that seems to have linlight. But that’s Leone and Radhe were enlisting a month and by gerednot inwhat India’s consciousness, Maa do. Both,for in their own ways, create social 1945, the force would number to acknowledge it ina all its crisis of meaning by unsettling assumpwell over 2 million — the largest complexity would beour to threaten tions about sexuality and freeing it from lanvolunteer army the world had the supremacy of chauvinistic, This book is a very guages of patriarchal religion, psychology, science, ever seen. national narratives. welcome addition to justice, stateIn and urbanKhan legend. They rememcompel But Khan’s book expands its Britain, writes, the historical canon us to unlearn whatwould we learn about sex from remit to embrace those who bering be equally inconvethe pope, Freud, Ram Sene goons, the potend to disappear into the backnientthefor a country intent on lice that raids couples in ahotels, ground in most military histocelebrating “storythe offeminist plucky and the agony aunt. ries: she writes of the mothers small-island British heroism”. Leone be why a savvy market queen who sent their sons to war, the merchants who The lattermight explains it took till 2002 forwho the tasted bloodtoininstall the Hindi film industry made their fortunes off supplying armies, and has Commonwealth a memorial in LonMaaIndia’s might war just dead. be a sham to some, the peasants who saw their fields of paddy and don Radhe to honour us out uncritical receprazed to make runways. In fact there are so yetInthey thisforce context, The of Rajour at War is a very weltradition by provocamany narrative threads in this ambitious, tion comeofaddition toand the modernity historical canon. Khan lemnly holding to indicate responsibilmixing one language with the other. dense book thathands the author never seems to tively produces stories that fascinate, that startle ity and commitment, into sex under the rest. Instead, she castsfaded a dancing spotlight, its and that bring us to a point of confrontation disciplining gazeilluminating of the government. boundaries intimate circle lives through Blurring with what she dubs the “terrible decisions, Much later, the condom ad found a new lan- Once a juxtapositions broad line separated the goodconsegirls fragments of letters, memoirs, official reports strange and unforeseen guage, thepopular language pleasure. The Kamasu- from the bad In Hindi films, a conflict conservaand even folkofsongs. quences,” of aones. long and devastating — traAscondom a half-naked andleast self-effacing woman played off a result, ad thisshowed book contains within couple it mul- tive but at now we have thewas option of acfrolicking in water, dissociating sex fromto thea against a permissive, titude of other books, each compressed knowledging them all. independent woman state andormatrimonial responsibility. chapter just a few paragraphs. For aHowevreader, who smoked and drank with abandon, made er, was no sign sexualstrong revolution. The lansmriti daniel a freelance based in Colombo, first moveis and thenwriter aggressively chased theitabsence of a of central, narrative arc the guage pleasure was couched Sri Lanka hero. The good woman, the heroine, was can be of disorienting, butsafely it is in the endina yet re- the
A multitude of books
An account of World War II that expands its remit to embrace those who disappear into the background of military histories
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The Raj at War A People’s History of India’s Second World War Yasmin Khan ₹699
omewhere, halfway through Yasmin Khan’s wonderful new book, I go looking for a picture of Aruna Asaf Ali, née Ganguli. I have only the vaguest recollection of her, but the woman Khan describes is entirely fascinating. When we first meet her, Aruna, the wife of Congress party member Asaf Ali, is “more noted for her saris than her political views”. But then her husband, along with much of the national leadership of Congress, is imprisoned in 1942. Though she is not among those arrested, she will shortly make the British government wish she had been. Aruna, now a friend to revolutionaries, goes underground to evade arrest, popping up all over the country to ferment rebellion against the Raj. Eventually her fame and popularity eclipses her husband’s. Behind bars, he frets for her safety and agonises over his own, much less militant politics; he notes in his diary that his wife, 21 years younger, is “now an overzealous stranger,” bobbing her hair short and using unknown pseudonyms. Their marriage survives India’s eventual independence in name only. The crucible of the war years and the long struggle for independence has exposed and exacerbated every disagreement, every divergence in ideology between this man and wife. On a much grander scale, it will do the same for the Raj and its colony. On the eve of World War II, the literacy rate Anjaan in India was 12.5hen per CPI centleader and lifeAtul expectancy saidthat Sunny Leone’s condom was 26. In the years followed, Khan notes advertisement would encourthat “The war flattened out pretensions of emage women, rapes, workers his misreading pire… It mobilised and the came a long tradition of richly coded urban from middle classes in radical new ways. It condom ads.nationalism, The early Nirodh spokeand in the heightened both ad in India in state language of family planning. Sex at Britain…” The war, she concludes, leftcame the Raj the end when a couple was shown slowly “in debt, morally redundant and staffed bydisexappearing into a dark corner, whichWorld couldWar not hausted administrators”. Certainly, be publicly known. Nirodh incouple, soII made the British RajThe untenable India. Jin-
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Sunny Leone and Radhe Maa, in their own ways, create a social crisis of meaning by unsettling our assumptions about sexuality and freeing it from the languages of religion, psychology, science, state and urban legend
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Best seats taken NH7 Weekender began as a music fest in Pune in 2010 and quickly grew into a multi-city event with a mix of music, comedy, food and more
Live and big-ticket View from the other end
Lives in-between In strife-torn Assam, refugee camps are bursting with people robbed overnight of their few material possessions ritu raj konwar
The organised events industry in India has grown to a staggering ₹4,258 crore in 2014-15, marked by heavy footfalls and an audience willing to shell out big bucks to be entertained The Story of Felanee reminds readers that Assam’s disenfranchised were once happy in hen American triothey event management company concerned. Also their penury, safe in comedian the huts could call home
W E The Story of Felanee Arupa Patangia Kalita (Translated into English by Deepika Phukan) Fiction Zubaan ₹395
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Gabriel Iglesias, Paul Varghese in the mix are managed events, namely brand and Eddie Ifft toured India launches and concerts, and digital events, during Comedy Central which connect audiences through a shared thnic in people Assam, turned like elseChuckle in 2013,violence over 6,000 up uation violence is stoked in the name of Ghosh, and that only adds to the complexity of digital where environment. where Northeast, a head. beast identity. to laugh at theirin act,the paying ₹2,000isper is also about Media’s militants whoviceget her identity. JaideepItSingh, Viacom18 senior thatBritish has long bred in its hills and sucked This year, actor-comedian Russell intoand thebusiness romantichead belieffor that they are president integrated Ethnic violence is not new to Felanee. She dales.the Butsecond in the last fewofyears it has fighting Brand opened season the festivthe ‘freedom motherland,’ but was born in the time of violence, and lost her network for solutions, pointsof out that internagrown more bloodthirsty. And, asThe always, it’s wind al, organised by Live Viacom18. tickets and power-greedy. They tional up live depraved shows are outshining the growth of father to it. Her mother died not long after givthe poor who75are worst-hit. of end were priced perthe cent higher Irrespective — ₹3,500 each up slaves a system which finally swaldomestic ones.of“In international, the size is ing birth to her. To save the baby from rioters, their identities, they exist on a thin line lows — butethnic the footfall only increased, to 15,000. She drawsgenres attention the rape of the mother, Jyotimala, flung her into a pond. largerthem. and multiple havetobeen added. between living and dying. Assam’s refugee This was the refrain at NH7 Weekender as Assam over the yearsareinstill thelargely name around of one Khitish’s relative Ratan, hiding nearby, fished The domestic events camps arefestival burstingorganised with thousands of people ‘movement’ Bollywood,” well, the by or another,he says. and out the baby soon after the riotrobbed overnight their few material posses- shows how the land Only Much Louderof(OML), which its most The and rapid growth notwithers left. He raised her, called her sions. It shows howand alive and kicking that vulnerable people is growing by leaps bounds oftenIndia pay the standing, remains a nasFelanee — the one thrown away. beast of ethnic violence and how far and price. When the with every edition. What is, began in uniform centmenmarket for organised Years later, Felanee loses not She brings out the wide it has its claws. The camps are in 2010 as a spread music fest in Pune are sent by the Centre, it is not events. Sabbas Joseph, director of only her husband and home in Entertainment rape of Assam over proof that the into state ahas failed to protect peo- have quickly grew multi-city just the militants whoInternational suffer. Wizcraft Entertainanother bout of ethnic violence options been the years in the name ple from the perpetrators of violence. Oflimited those to malls event, with five cities playing The protagonist Kalita’s sto- of Event & ment of and president but also her unborn child. Over of one ‘movement’ or affected, sometocontinue live in the camps, host this year its mix ofto music, ry is Felanee,Entertainment the quarter-AssaManagement Asthe years, the loss faced by the and movies another, and shows others out more. in the hope of setting up mese, comedy,move food and quarter-Bodo andsays the marsociation (EEMA), poor in Assam has certainly rishow the land and its home elsewhere. As more Indians tune in to inhalf-Bengali young of Lamket sizewife in India pales in front of en, while the weapons of the riotmost vulnerable It’s this trauma thecomedy, displaced that Arupa bodar, an Assamese ternational musicofand Koch live events the nearly of $12-billion ers have grown sharper. In this people often pay Patangia successfully explores in The strain. Felanee live eventsKalita are turning moneyis also the motheconomy in New York. hopeless situation, Kalita, the price Story of Felanee. She reminds readers that these er But spinners for organisers. of an Moni, it’sadorable a marketboy with—potential. “We are a through Felanee, plants hope; disenfranchised people were once happy in and From ₹2,800 crore in 2011-12, the organised is seven pregnant country wheremonths 60 per cent of the audience is she shows how the tenacity of their once (orhas so they thought) in with eventspenury, industry in safe India grown to a staganother. young. They don’t necessarily migrate to TV or the violence-affected people has their huts which they could geringlittle ₹4,258 crore in 2014-15 — a 15call pertheir cent traditional Felanee’s media mixedand inheritance are looking to experisustained them. Kudos to Kalita own. More importantly, they once hadcrore a sense rise. It is expected to touch ₹5,779 in clearly becomes she finds ence live media tricky every when moment of theherself day,” for adding this tragic chapter of Assam’s conof belonging. Her 314-page book is the&Young. story of in 2016-17, according to a report by Ernst the middle Singh says. of a war based on identities. Her temporary history to its literature. The book’s lives inof misery and of their fight for sur- Assamese At thelived heart this industry are music, theatgrandmother had married a Bodo, Ten-year-old Aryav Menon would testify to translation could have been better in places, vival. Binding these people together, however, re, comedy and dance shows, besides events her wedded Bengalibuilt sweetshop this.mother A regular at livea events aroundowncar- but it matters little, because the plot is so pois the hopeonthat one daycharacters things might centring cartoon andchange Bolly- er, while she married an “It Assamese. wears tent, bordering as it does on facts. toon characters, he says, is a kindShe of experifor the This better. wood. also includes event-related intel- the red and white legacy enceBengali that can never be bangles, achievedthe through Throughout the —narrative, writer takes lectual property such astheSunburn, for of her mother, one day hercome dok- sangeeta barooah pisharoty is a Delhi-based television or 3Dwho movies. Thedropped characters writer the reader—through hopelessness sit- hona instance owned the wholly or partly of bya the Vijay Nair, CEO and co-founder of Only Much Louder for aare Benarasi sari and married Khitish freelance alive and interactive. From Enid Blyton’s
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Noddy to Japanese robot Doraemon, the young Menon has “interacted” with them all at the many live events he has attended with his parents in Delhi. Ready money Joseph adds that young audiences today — comprising largely of executives, professionals and students — are earning a lot more than they did a decade ago. “The only perfect, real opportunity for entertainment is live events,” he says. That explains the spurt in the number of festivals and concerts, and the spike in ticket prices. The middle-income group has more dispos- Sabbas Joseph, director of Wizcraft able income today but its entertainment op- International Entertainment tions have been limited to malls and movies, says Singh. The desire for more experiential from there, to tier 3 cities… I can see a sea entertainment is bound to shore up the for- change,” says Joseph. tunes of the live events industry. Alongside the rapid growth in demand, the Moreover, this trend is true of not just the live events industry is grappling with chaltop cities but also tier 2 and tier 3 centres, lenges of its own. The biggest is a lack of venwhich have gradually warmed up to the idea are Chinese not enough venues live Quick pleasures Moradabad or Mysore, Kolkata or Kochiues. — the“There lure of fast food applies to allfor of India ch vijaya bhaskar of music events and gigs as the ultimate enter- events. We have to put up everything from tainment option. From Jaipur scratch in open grounds,” rues and IndoreEAT, to Guwahati and BhuSingh. Right from the backstage STREET, REPEAT baneswar, there are enough taketo parking lots, creating every rs for tickets priced upwards of manner of infrastructure and ₹1,000 for live shows. dealing with a multitude of venAnywhere between “Quite a few tier 1 cities like dors makes the entire process six and 16 Mumbai and Bengaluru are getcomplex and time-consuming permissions are ting saturated with events and for the organisers. needed for each we are starting to see interest event, depending on and response from other cities,” Licence to thrill the city and state says Vijay Nair, CEO and co-founAnother big challenge is securider of OML. ng approvals from the fire safety “The Indian consumer is very department, police, municipalaspirational. The rising disposaity and other authorities. “Anyble income and willingness to spend have where between six and 16 permissions are you knowinyour made livehink events bigger tier 2Chinese and tierfood 3 ci- needed balls of fried chilli chicken. And, of course, the for each event, depending on the city tell the differ- and ties. Whilefundas? most of That themyou arecan Bollywood-based, inspiration behind likeclearance idli Manstate. There is noinnovations single-window lo mein and gradually ence manybetween international events arechow also and churian, dosas stuffed noodles Chithe process can takewith months,” saysand Joseph. mein? Or eat a five-course meal ele- nese taking place there,” Singh adds. bhel. Nair knows this better than most. His comgantly with a pair chopsticks? In line with thisoftrend, NH7 Weekender is pany It ishad also to what yourthe cousin from Detroit decancel much-awaited Jerry Well, then. See if you can answer this. Mum- Seinfeld travelling to Shillong (apart from Delhi, mands the moment he arrives in police Mumbai. show in Mumbai after the reFrom where does chickenthis Manchurian bai, Pune and Bengaluru) year whilehail? the fused “You can get licences anything theweekend US,” he event twangs. to give forinthe at Manchuria! India International Dance Festival is pitching NSCI “Goanciting curry,traffic Parsi issues. dhansaak, dosas. you “Apart fromBut licensNope, sorry. While there is becomes a large region in ing tent in Bhubaneswar. “What regular can’tand get Hakka noodles issues, and chilli infrastructure thischicken. sector Northeast by that name, unlikely fare in tier China 1 then migrates to tier it’s 2 cities and, doesn’t Those guys don’tappetite get Chinese food.” havejust a huge for risk, in generthat you’ll ever run into a Manchurian in ManOr rather, they don’t get Indian-Chinese churia who eats chicken Manchurian. Or for food. But why should they? that matter gobi Manchurian. Or even those After all, chicken lollipop and paneer dragfried little pakodas in brown sauce that go by on roll, were born out of a unique marriage of the name of veg Manchurian. cultures. In the late 18th century, a few Chinese Chicken Manchurian was not born in a immigrants made their way to Calcutta to kitchen in Manchuria. Or elsewhere in China. work in the sugar industry — and by the 20th It was created for the very first century a thriving Chinatown time at the Cricket Club of India was in place. Somewhere along in Mumbai in 1975. the way, the small eateries meant A finicky customer, or so the for the local Chinese population, What was Chinese story goes, requested a new dish. began to entice adventurous Inabout them? Perhaps So Nelson Wang — the famous dians. This was achieved by addthe soy-based restaurateur who at that point ing spices like cumin and dipping sauce catered for the club — rose to the coriander, splashing the oil challenge. He started the experiaround and creating vegetarian ment by frying garlic, ginger and sections in the menu. green chillies, just as if he were In the process, crispy corn pepattempting a conventional Indian dish. But in- per salt, manchow soup and their siblings stead of masalas, he then tossed soy sauce, were born. Soon sniffy restaurants, street carts cornstarch and chicken into the pan. The out- with names like Hungry Eyes and Dancing come was a novel dish that he christened Stomach and savvy housewives, all began to chicken Manchurian. Forty years later, you interpret Chinese food in their own ways. My won’t find a Chinese menu in India that does grandmother had a superbly temperamental not feature a Manchurian or three. cook called Karim who made the best spring Of course, the tale of ‘How Chicken Man- rolls — kheema rolled into satiny wraps and churian Got Its Wings’ is only a small part of fried into fat, frilly creations. What was Chithe larger story. The fascinating account of a nese about them? Perhaps the soy-based diphybrid cuisine that has finally acquired an ping sauce. identity of its own — Indian-Chinese. Or, if you Chinese restaurants sprang up in the tiniest want to dispense with the niceties and hy- towns. The existing Madras Cafes and Jyoti phens, just plain, old Chineej. Restaurants expanded their menus to include Chineej is what you get at most neighbour- ‘South Indian, Mughlai and Chineej’ and came hood restaurants. It is the force behind the un- up with the likes of chicken silly and veg manabashedly oily and spicy ‘Hakka noodles’ juri. Not to mention triple rice, a scorching Dig in British actor-comedian Brand takes stage at Comedy Central Chuckle heaped on your plate, andRussell the crisp and tangy red combination of rice and noodles doused
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China has nothing to do with chicken Manchurian, Hakka noodles, paneer dragon roll or the fiery ‘Schezwan’ sauce
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Triple rice Noodles
200g Hakka noodles (boiled) 20g cornflour Oil for deep frying
Fried rice
2tbsp oil 1tsp garlic (chopped) 1tsp ginger (chopped) 1tsp green chillies (chopped) 1 spring onion, white part (chopped) 1 small carrot (cut into cubes) 2 French beans (long strips) 200g rice (cooked) 1tsp soy sauce Salt to taste 2tbsp green part of spring onion (chopped)
Sauce
4tbsp oil 2 spring onions (big pieces) 1 carrot (long strips) 4 French beans (long strips) 1 tomato (long strips) 1tsp red chilli sauce 1tbsp tomato sauce 2tbsp Sichuan sauce 250ml vegetable stock 1/4tsp pepper powder 1/2tsp sugar Salt to taste cornflour Domestic mixed with 100 ml rely on Big2tbsp on Bollywood gigs mostly tinsel town for inspiration 1 Noodles: Sprinkle dry cornflour over
boiled noodles and deep fry till golden brown. Friedreally rice: Heat oil to in achange deep saucepan. al.2 This needs and people Add vegetables (except green should be willingalong to sample events forpart this inof spring onions) and fry for a minute. dustry to change and develop,” says Nair. Add rice and soy sauce and fry for two Yet another stumbling block is the requireminutes. Add green part of spring onions ment thatRemove organisers and stir. fromshould heat. pay entertainment tax before theintickets are Add sold.all Ranging 3 Sauce: Heat oil a big pan. from 0-50 per cent, this on taxhigh makes it unviable vegetables and stir-fry flame for tothree hold many events, That minutes. Add says stockJoseph. and boil formeans, two minutes. all the sauces despite the rise Add in ticket sales, mostand events just seasoning for a minute. Stirringpropabout break and evenboil or remain loss-making continuously, add the(ofcorn flourismixture ositions. “The pricing tickets) not approand cook minutes. priate. They for are two not on the higher side. That is 4 Then break the noodles intoevents piecestend and to why a majority of the ticketed arrange on the serving plate. Pour the besauce loss-making,” says Joseph. on the noodles. Spread the rice Viacom18’s Singh says sale of tickets has inover the sauce. creased by 30-35 per cent in the last three years. Yet, it is important to have robust sponsors to ensure that an event brings in profits. For high-profile events, sponsorship in in ‘Schezwan’ sauce; chopper rice, a brings sweetish 50-60 per on centthe of rice-noodle the revenues, “and that is variation theme; crispy when can and make your event viable,” says threadyou paneer kung pao bhindi. Singh. Viacom18 is looking break even now As Chineej evolved, so didtothe shortcuts and — in its The third year — on thetoback of formulae. word ‘chilly’ tagged chicken sponsorships. or paneer or tofu implies spicy and fried. ManNair pegs sponsorship 50-80 sauce. per cent of churian involves a salty atbrown And the earningspromises in the Indian sector. ‘Schezwan’ a fiery,live redevent experience. “Brands have realised thatisthis is a great wayinto (In fact, ‘Schezwan’ sauce another Indian activate products directly frontthe of convention their — a blithe attempt toindistil flasumers. brands, it is great forinto directa vours ofFor anmany entire, complex cuisine sampling and gaining feedback on single concoction thatimmediate is then smeared on evthe product,” adds. For it means erything fromhe vada pav toorganisers, pizza.) a cut in costs.till quite recently, we were apolStrangely, Joseph points out,proud however, thathotchpotch the future ogetic rather than of this of the industry depends on growing cuisine. I remember beingnot ononly a constant quest demand but also government support. “There for the ‘most authentic’ Chinese restaurant in is neglectTill towards sector. Some kind of Mumbai. a closethe encounter with “authensubsidy orme, support needed,” tic” cured once is and for all. he says. A few governments have, in fact, During a three-week-long triprecognised to China the potential the we sector and areonactively about a decadeofago, overdosed subtle looking to minimise the challenges flavours,for theways scrapings from intestines and faced organisers. Joseph points to the Delhi slurpyby noodles in beef broth for breakfast. Of government’s single-window clearance for course, there were some extraordinary meals, live events aand the Maharashtra including 25-course banquet government’s that featured efforts to engage with the live events duck beaks and unidentifiable bits ofindustry piggies. to Truth resolve bebottlenecks. told, though, we were all rather reIn the sweatofand toil backlieved tomeantime, return to it’s theall realm predictable stage, the liveand show must on… enthrallHakkaas noodles chow chugo potatoes. ing millions of Indians.
shabnam minwalla is a journalist and author of rashmi pratap of Dorabji Street The Six Spellmakers
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Unforced The worlderrors is not enough To become a truly modern military, our armed forces must be open to scrutiny and not hide Brushes local culture add to patriotism the thrill of journeys through Omo Valley, Ethiopia, and under thewith garb of unquestioning Dunhuang, an oasis-town on the edge of Gobi Desert in China sambuddha mitra mustafi
down the rates for everything — parking, group photos, and individual photos, before we could even turn the engine off. They knew we weren’t going to drive 60km back to Jinka. Their chalk-striated torsos bore the traditional marks of scarification indicating prowess in battle, although AK-47s had largely replaced the spears. It was mayhem when we got out, people pulling us in every direction to be photographed. I felt sorry for the less photogenic, who got left out. Getachew said they had tried fixing a very generous rate for the whole village, but it hadn’t worked. Flying visits like mine were the major source of income for the village. Without it, the Mursis would have abandoned this swamp where they practice flood cultivation in the retreating waters, and with it, a way of life. Yet tourism was changing their behaviour too, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. I wondered what the answer was — reUs vs. them The stricted contact to the Their chalk-striated army’s structural government violence and development and impunity torsos bore the NGOs and perhaps a few anthroin conflict zones such traditional marks of pologists to help understand as Kashmir only the scarification aggravate the situation culture? Is this what the Mursis indicating prowess in nissar ahmad would want? battle, although We had even worse luck with AK-47s had largely t was a cold, wet day in February 2007, the Karos, considered the over. masAfter 10 minutes, an apologetic polling offi- the Indian Army and state was boiling replaced the spears when I saw firsthand the Indian army, cer came out of the classroom, claiming they With every young ters ofboy body andseveral great whopainting, was killed, backed by their unscrupulous political had only “temporarily” shut the booth to hundred would improvisers, pick up thewho coffinincorporate and vow remasters, maiming Indian democracy. It “avoid false votes”. Inside were a few party per- venge againstball nails, cartridges an points, army that wasand ruining their was the most crucial day in the three-phase sonnel and a senior army officer. To anyone homeland, destroying into theirtheir jewellery. were families We and makManipur state elections: sitting chief minister with some common sense it was clear what ing planning camp outside their village overfriendstodisappear. Okram Ibobi Singh was among the candidates was happening — the sitting government was looking a magnificent bend inby themany Omo years River That one incident set back whose fate would be sealed. I was a junior re- rigging votes in the chief minister’s constitu- the (for aprocess fee of course, and employing them as of reintegration of Kashmiri porter at Doordashan News, and had para- ency with the help of the army. My boss at youth. guards,An cooks, but the whole vilarmyand thathelpers) is supposed to protect cichuted from Delhi to cover the elections, Doordarshan Delhi refused to run the story in tizens lage had come running out alerted by our litwas mortally threatening them, pushwhich private news channels had ignored. tle cloud dust, and surrounded us beforethe we spite of it being on film. “We will both get fired ing themoftowards violence and bringing After reporting from various polling sta- if we run an anti-army story on Doordarshan,” nation could park. As we got out, the kids started into disrepute. tions in Thoubal, Singh’s constituency, we he said. clamouring for ball and chocolates, It was the worst formpens of treason, fuelled by were driving on the highway towards Imphal while the grownups prodded and poked us for The Indian Army, like its counterparts in hubris and legal immunity. when, outside one polling station, we saw a other countries, does an incredibly difficult money. Getachew tried to humour and So, while the confirmation of the them sentences group of about 30 local women protesting job. We don’t risk our lives at our jobs. The in persuade them toisgive usnews, a little space, not the Machil case good there is aifneed loudly. Their bright mekhlas jarred against brave men and women of the privacy, but to avail, sincelook mostatofthe them did tono take a deeper Indian their frayed tempers. When we stopped to ask army do. But the same bravery not understand hisstructural Amharic. violence Meles kept Army’s anda them what was happening, they flew into a and willingness to use force can beady eye onimpunity our stuffininconflict the cabin. We soon zones such rage at the Indian army and government — the easily spill over into a deadly arrecognized we not get a moment’s prias would the North-East, Kashmir and An army that is “outsiders”. Our OB van, with the Doordar- rogance, and an impunity that vacy here, and Meles was lucky to be ablethe to Maoist-affected areas. Both supposed to surprise protect the Manipur Work and of artGovernment The Karos useof redIndia ochrelogos, and/or chalk to decorate shan quickly Karos by making us jump back intheytheir are bodies aboveshutterstock the laws meant and Kashmir examples citizens was mortally became their target. to the cab onshow a prearranged revving the for the “sissy civilians”. that if wesignal, put our soldiers threateningengine them, up toabove We gathered that the women were not bea roar,scrutiny and doing a fullthe circle as he That arrogance led them to under garb of pushing them Rounding theto Horn series for in theManipur. Ethiopian Jewish, ing allowed vote(ofbyAfrica) the army, though an rig getaway. Getachew told medemodarkvotes And it’s or Falasha, made a quickpatriotism, we weaken our towards violence and cratic It is ironical that Ethiopia, in most parts population back in that Israel. hour still remained beforewhich the official close of the a single government servant same arrogance ledJinka sol- must be the ly “there is not republic and the army itself bringing the nation of the country is been so unlike thegorest of Africa, worldof capital documentary polling. They had told to home. Local diers clinic, no one to turn to the 4for Rajputana Riflesfilm units rac- here, no school, in theno eyes of citizens. into disrepute contains a guarding region which is more ing off to catchthree it all, before it goes forever. It help if something police were the gates of thedefiantly polling to happens. Well,Pakistan, let’s go and murder Kashmiri In neighbouring we was good to beand surrounded by lush greenery, visit the Hamer “African” almost any other on the station — than a small government school — contiwhile youth they are very differin 2010, camouflage have people, seen the violent repercusnent. The see lower Omoarmed Valley army in thepersonnel extreme it after rocky landscape we could heavily at our having to flee, and asthe anbrown, anti-militancy oper- of the north. ent”. I was saddened sions of putting the armed forces southwest home to atclassroom least two where dozen colThe in next three days wereManispent squeezed in- began feeling just outsideis the closed the ation moreTolike cultural Machil. In both on aeven pedestal. the aIndian Arourful ethnic groups each with their own lan- pur to theand cabin of a Toyota with enjoy Geta- my’s polling took place. pollutant. Kashmir, armypick-up personnel credit, it has proved to be one of the most guage. in Election this sparely populated chew, my through guide the andArmed Meles,Forces the Special driver, apolitical ArmedHere, with our Commission cards immunity It was a long back to the mainamong track, and and way disciplined armies dewilderness, is little history, and life carbouncing rutted tracks for and camera,there we managed to brush aside the Powers we got stuck in the oozecountries. twice. The But locals Act,along which instilsmud the feeling thatabout they veloping, post-colonial tobarberies on but much as itstopped has for millennia. Our small can 300 get kilometres. too far beyond the hori- come police, were by the army persongaineda truly furiously before lending hand. Getaaway withNot anything. modern army that isarespected by plane from the Addis droned onof over spectacutri-junction of Sudan, Uganda, and all nel outside closed doors theabooth. We zon chew and Meles tryingto to workscruthe It lay is inthe this context that we should welcome citizens, it mustwhile open itself greater lar series of lakes rift But valley, which Kenya. The Mursis, on of high ground were brusquely toldin to the get lost. egged on the winch also past argued furiously, would unprecedented lifea patch sentence handed out tiny, admit mistakes andand educate itseach foot stretches south the way to to to in the a swampy forest, had got it all worked by the crowd atall the gates, weMozambique, stayed put and take me that asidewith for moral Getachew six army personnel involved in the out. Ma- soldiers great support. force comes great land on a grassy airstrip in theofficer regional out- chil The women ran Back into the little low to in- responsibility. demanded to meet the polling responsaid “Meles, he has a psychic problem, he encounter. in 2010, the huts encounter post of been despite cleared triggered sert their famous plates into in thethe pouches sible forJinka the (after booth.the Westrip kepthad filming violent clay street protests Valley should rush the inclines. You see he has only of a game football). Mostfrom of thethe seats were cut inled their lower lips, getting and donkilled. other accoutremitra mustafi is the founder of verbal andof physical threats irate ar- that driven for an NGO.” Both of them pretended to 123 people I covered sambuddha ment, protests while the surrounded us,against laying The taken up by an Ethio-Israeli film crew doing a those Indian t@some_buddha my personnel. not Political to notice that the tyres were absolutely formen the BBC: the anger
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The missing man
bald. “You should be able to buy four new ones from the money you have earned from me,” I joked with Getachew. He said “What is the use, they never send the sanctions.” The jeep belonged to a government department of which he was the resident anthropologist, when not freelancing. The Hamer village of Omorate, with its fenced-in compounds and shaded houses, seemed like Paris when we finally got there, not least because no one took any notice of our arrival. Getachew introduced me to Galti, sitting patiently in a corner of the roadside restaurant. An extremely attractive woman, she was dressed in textbook Hamer fashion, her hair set meticulously into coppery strands with ochre and animal fat, with iron torques around her neck indicating she was married, and a goat skin decorated with cowries and metal rings hanging loosely from her neck, like a bib. She made the models on Fashion TV look like guests at the vicar’s tea-party. Galti offered us a unique tour of her own. We followed her through the corn and jowar fields (the Hamers are agro-pastoralists) until we came to a mango tree where she lit a fire and started roasting corn. Her mother, identically dressed and who looked not a year older, sat down shyly next to us and pulled a yam out of a matka. Then her brother walked out from behind the corn stalks, dressed in a flaming red check, knee length lungi, and a brilliant necklace of turquoise beads. As we left our little picnic I told Galti meant mistake in Hindi, and that her parents had misnamed her.
Across classes there is a fatherhood crisis in urban India — men are not becoming fathers
their stories. It is not enough to say that a father’s involvement benefits a young person. Each form of absence — whether it is just disinterest or divorce, alcohol, disease and death — has a profound impact on a child. Urban India must recognise the link between a father’s absence in a son’s life and the child’s capacity to regulate aggression. This aggression could be outward towards other people (usually female, starting with his mother and moving to others) or inwards in the form of self-neglect In celebration Tourists on camel back at the famous Singing MountainsBoth in Dunhuang. The picture are was on andSands depression. these scenarios taken druing the 2013 Golden Week, a seven-day national holiday in China reuters the increase. More than one mother has come into my ofgroups seated on teenage large round tables. te in the great “cultural regeneration” move- family fice complaining that her son hits her. sweepers wouldinmove in as as they ment and re-discover the art treasures, forts, The father is absent one way or soon another. Her Onesays, seeswill sweepers andtocleaners and stretches of Great Wall strung along the left. son, she not come see me. everySo it’s in China, in buildings, on the streets,are in Silk Road. Finally, the cadres had bagged all where between me and her. These mothers trains, and women they are generally the seats through what we call the VIP quota in the strong, capable who are not better pushbetterthey dressed, and more successful India, or so people grumbled. (The man be- equipped, overs, yet here are being physically bulcounterparts. One of the hind the counter had his own interpretation than lied bytheir theirIndia teenage sons and feel powerless Chinese know about India is that it — the government did not want people to visit things to stopthe it. On further exploration it emerges plagued with Kevin knew that Xinjiang because of the unrest there. I was sur- is that the sons feelgarbage. powerless tooalso — especially in monkeys, which I thought wasina prised sometimes by the outspokenness. A t- we the“respect” outside world — with their peers and way of putting it.frustrated Like manyand others, they shirt I saw, announced, albeit somewhat safely nice school. They are often demorallikedtake “Three Idiots”. Chinese Witnessing history in China in English, “Anarchy is Key”). So I had to take a both ised, and their angerApparently, out on the one perthe—same problems of You have to keep a hawk’s eye on the calendar flight to the next stop on my own journey education son who is suffers always from present the mother. learning we do. A poor, French engineer since train tickets can be booked only ten days west, to Dunhuang, a small laid-back oasis rote These are notas stories from uneducated the Renault factory saidand he wished in advance. Although I tried to, I couldn’t get a town on the edge of the Gobi Desert and at the working families. in These are from middleupperworkers had playedthat lego use as kids. Kevin was ticket for my first leg along the Silk Road, foot of a range of perfectly rounded sand his middle-class families a ‘this won’t I rather through the narrow Hexi corridor that used to dunes, which were a major tourist attraction Isabel’s happen cousin. to us’ version oftactlessly denial as asked a forceIsabel field. many siblings she had,shows forgetting be China’s only opening to the west, between as the Singing Sands (after the wind that whis- how Research after research that for a fa-a the One Child and lives I thought the ranges that separate Inner Mongolia to the tled through them and kept them perfectly moment ther’s involvement in hisPolicy, children’s has a Do your bit As Barack Obama said, “We need fathers to realise that what makes you a man is not the ability to have arounded). child — it’s the courage to raise one.” s mahinsha looked a little when she explained she north and mountainous Qinghai to the south. More importantly, it was the site of she positive impact onsad their development, school single. Shesocial was having hardrelationships. time getting The summer holidays were at their peak, col- the Mogao caves, one of the greatest reposito- was achievement, skills aand he word ‘parent’ our country still ries Feminists have often argued whether it is even aHarsh visa Mander for further studies abroad, which on is leges students were goinginhome, and whole of Buddhist arts in the world. recently wrote in The Hindu effectively means ‘mother’. Parent is necessary to plane have men in families. else we have in common. We decidChinese families were setting out to participaOur small landed under brilliant star- something “involved fatherhood”, and the State of the used as a politically correct term to light I am it air is. It is important be- World’s Fathers ed report, to take which a cab the next day to in arguing the cool that desert and I concludes that sound inclusive, but in reality it shared cause the growing childwith needsKehis father. the Mogao caves together. a taxi into town “fathers matter”. rarely is. This may be because the word is too vin and Isabel (their English The have huge told flow of visitors was as Children would you that, if anyvague and permits enough space for the ab- names A son in the needChinese adopt for usual very well controlled, but one had cared to ask or listen to them. If chilThe roughly 500 caves sent parent to remain, well… absent. In any dealing Ideally, I with would assert thatI itwas is as important dren don’t ask the time spentfathers, in the few foreigners). for their it iscaves not were sculpted and ‘group’ or ‘talk’ on parenting, most of the at- very for both boys andbygirls have their fathers because of disinterest, we visited but was because limited, they and most impressed thetohostel have painted at different tendees are mothers. present, for now going of itthem. was taken up by ourmothers guide, a they werebut staying at (aI am lot of pineto stick to the seldom known When their times over a period of This is not by accident. It is a constructed re- woodwork, need of boys.unisex I makedorms this choice young woman in — high heels with con-because there handle all dimensions of care food, upkeep, a thousand years ality. Society has conjured this by allowing the sisting is often little separation between a parasol andwhat a lot ofthe costume of four bunk beds and mothers and school, friendships — then will father busy parent — the one who provides for the lockers, their sons in clean our culture. Thetoimother is often bring in? Sadly, jewellery, such as very common neither on father normatters child have family ‘monetarily’ — to be absent or relin- lets blamed and caricatured for this: whether as an answer forhow — young Chinese backpackthat.a particular figure of Guanyquish the responsibility of the children to the ers the are overprotective mother her son in of(a most Bodhisatva, the Chinese hitting the trail in a chasing big The actions fathers suggest that other. The mother. with abut glassanticipating of milk; or the anx- problems, “Goddess of Mercy”) hadtothe perfect Mona Lisa way) language they want remain providers or This places a burden on the mother, wheth- stuck ious mother of thePlanet’s young“top man,choice”, which smile, and sobystanders. on. I kicked myself for notallcarryto the Lonely They leave the er it is experienced as such or not. However, was the Dune reached through ing my own torch. keeping an eyeGuesthouse, on his friendThe roughly 500 caves were caretaking to a combination of what is ignored is the impact on the child of the fruit at the foot of the dunes. I sculpted andmother, ships withorchards girls; or the overbearpainted grandmother at different times andover hireda For there to be a having a powerful, but largely inactive male had which was quite period of a thousand ing lost my andphrase book, possessive years, starting from the help (usually female). greater distance member in the family. In fact, to have a father comprehensive, and covered even such im- 4th century, andAsI was mother-in-law making life diffikeen to try to detect theI a child psychologist, when between mother and who is alive but absent seems to have a worse possibly optimistic social situations such as Indian influence cult for the son’s new wife. Yet in thetoearlier am asked help aones. child,Interestit is the son, the distance effect on children than having a dead and, being in a position to ask someone “shall we ingly, as diplomatically this separation between mother correct asthe thefirst Chinese mothers who make call. between father and therefore, unavailable father. go mycan room”. I was andtoson onlyAlthough come about if beginning to usually are with she made nofather menIn 12foreigners, years of practice, one son needs to reduce Today, across classes there is a crisis in fa- get hang of sentence patterns and the tion of the nationality the the father enters the picture thefirst British, has made ofthe call. French, I have therhood in urban India — men are not be- structure of and Mandarin, seemed and other archaeologists early enough is valued which by them learnt that I (among must call the promfather coming fathers. This problem spans the straightforward you stuck to the ba- inently, Sir Aurel his son. For thereenough to be a ifgreater Stein, over the to the firstcrossing appointment. If Khunnot, it richest families with disposable wealth to the sics (it hasbetween no tenses, gendersand or numbers) no jerab pass from distance mother Kashmir) between is too easy to who conclude thatthem he is poor in unauthorised housing and the wide one understand my pronunciation, son,could the distance between father and and son carted off over 20,000 manuscripts the villain of the piece. priceless When I persist, the famiddle-class in between. They are fertilising Ineeds would tofrequently reduce. be cut short with “sorry I in thedo early 20thThey century, the 4th thers arrive. seem including torn between the Sutra, which theurge first to book eggs with their sperm but seem to be clueless don’t English”! Mandarin is century The speak gap left by the Although father is filled by the desire toDiamond be in the wings and isthe be toonto be printed the 9th century). about their next role. These are not just my also written Roman (asin. Pinyin), mother, and in thethe father can’tscript fit back It is anI ever called centre(in stage. They want toI resolvbe into learn moredon’t about Mogao whenhow. I next viswords. President Barack Obama in a 2010 still couldn’t get anyone to understand me,but ex- ed unfortunate chicken-and-egg situation, volved but they seem to know Their the British museum (and our own speech on Father’s Day said, “We need fathers cept occasionally thehelpful. word written ited casting blame willwhen neverI had prove reluctance often hides a lack of confidence in Weas need to be careful when to realise that responsibility does not end at down before I left, in Devanagari, which repli- National their ownMuseum. capacities a father. They simply urging to return our treasures!). conception. We need them to realise that what cated the sounds the best. The longest distance are not others sure they are valued. And they really do makes you a man is not the ability to have a The Kevin andpeople Isabel Iinvited me to dinner young work with often tell at mea want to be. child — it’s the courage to raise one.” restaurant packed with tourists that specialabout the distance between themselves and prabhu ghate, a researcher and journalist, has nupur dhingra is amicrofinance clinical child psychologist written several paiva books on and The Economist has, more than once, run a ized donkey, thethe local specialty. of It distheirin fathers, and damage this Piles causes. is also who teaches at Ambedkar University, Delhi cover story on the uselessness of the male. carded bones grew the boisterous finance a common theme thatunder runs through many of informal
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Travel Log Getting there
There are no direct flights to Ireland. Fly Etihad via Abu Dhabi to Dublin. Travel by road to Connemara Airport in Inverin (240km) and take an Aer Arann flight to Inishmore. Stay
Eye candy From the air, Dun Aengus appears a semi-circle raymond fogarty (below) the chevaux de frise prachi joshi
Holding fort Stories, not headlines Drama in the wild A photo from a series on elephant capture on Peepli.org kalyan varma
A hike to Dun Aengus, an Iron Age structure in Ireland’s Inishmore, ends with sweeping views of the North Atlantic
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look anxiously at the white Cessna parked on the tarmac. I’m not a nervous flyer, but the tiny 10-seater plane appears flimsy. I’m at the Connemara Airport at Inverin, county Galway, on the west coast of Ireland (or what is known as the Wild Atlantic Way), and I am about to take the Aer Arann flight to the Aran Islands. I have of just ever mind the headlines thebeen day; weighed along with all myNews’; luggage a laptop or ‘Breaking or—‘First on bag with a change ofXclothes and camera. Your Channel or Newspaper Y’ kind of weight determines sit insome the plane reports…where Howyou about slow and on-ground attendant mispronews,the from the ground? Well, at(who a time when nounces mysuccess name as ‘Peaches’)onseats meand in journalistic is centred speed row four of the five place. sensationalism, andinheadlines are forgotten days of and News’ intermittent theAfter moment thegusty nextwinds ‘Breaking comes rains have marked Wild Atlantic Way along,that three young newsmy websites are offering trip so far,alternatives I take it as good omen that the sun is in-depth to knee-jerk journalism. shining brilliantly especially when PeeI’m People’s Archive of—Rural India (PARI), about to take a 20-minute ride inlaunched what looks pli, Untold — the oldest, PARI, was in like a toy plane. Butthe myother anxiety melts thethan moDecember last year; two are less ment we areold airborne. Fromtoupchange, above, Ireland six months — promise among is a visual treat. glitters in alland shades other things, theThe wayland news is carried also of green and gold,free-to-access and the sea sparkles consumed. These sites lookan atinistense cobalt. flight to Aran Islands actually sues that areThe often neglected by mainstream takes than 10 do minutes, but I’m taking forthe media.less And they it through multiple ‘scenic’ route, with a fly-by over the famed Cliffs of Moher. The plane heads further west and the outline of the Aran Islands becomes visible. The ‘Arans’ are three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay — Inishmore (Inis Mór in Gaelic), Inishmaan (Inis Meadhóin) and Inisheer (Inis Oirthir). Inishmore is the largest of the three, and as the plane returns to terra firma, I can see a curious lattice-like pattern on most of the island. “These are stone walls that the farmers build to demarcate their lands and also to keep the top soil from blowing away,” says Cyril O’Flaherty, a local artist and farmer who runs Aran Walking Tours on Inishmore, and my guide for the day. Inishmore has hundreds of miles of these stone walls, which are just stones and boulders piled on top of each other, without mortar. After a quick lunch, we begin the hike up to
The three-star Aran Islands Hotel is a great base to explore the islands. Its balcony rooms offer a stunning view of the Kileaney Bay and Kilronan Harbour (www.aranislandshotel.com). Tí Joe Watty’s Bar (fiveminutes’ drive from the hotel) is the place to visit for a pint of Guinness, local seafood and traditional music and dance late in the evening. Tip
Dun Aengus is open all year (10am to 6pm MarchOctober, till 4pm NovemberFebruary). Admission €4. Ireland’s weather is notoriously fickle, so wear (or carry) weatherprotective clothing.
Dun Aengus (Dún Aonghasa), a prehistoric er circular, like Dún Eochla (also on Inishfort dating back to the Iron Age, built at the more) or whether it was D-shaped with a wall edge of a 100-m high cliff. “Dún Aonghasa on the cliffside,” says O’Flaherty. Either way, a means the Fort of Aonghas, possibly named af- substantial part of the fort must have colter the god Aonghas, who, according to Irish lapsed into the raging Atlantic below, possibly mythology, is the god of love and youth. An- during an earthquake. other theory is that it was built by the mythiFor the last 100m of the hike, I clamber over mats:king ArticlesAonghus that are researched over weeks ry alsosome has videos documenting thestone concal mac Úmhór, rough, —naturally formed and months,around supported by extensive galleries stant tusslesteps, among thethetribesmen over somewhere 2 BCE,” exto enter inner enclosure of visuals; detailed infographlivestock preying plains O’Flaherty. However, of the fort.and In itsthe heyday, Dun ics; photo documentaries, wolves, as well as the energetic, archaeological excavations as Aengus was probably the well asindicate audio and video files. celebratory dance before they now that the political, economic and set out ritual on thecentre arduous These sites also of project first construction the jourforjourney. a tribe. nalism storytelling, and Focused on issues that tribe confort goesasback to 1100 Members of the The core team of Untold theirievisuals are Age. etched with includes only one person cern thewould rural Indian, the stoBC, the Iron have certainly the stamp of ‘art’. A good exries on PARI be the readfort. in The fort walls were lived can inside with a background in ample of this is a Peepli multiple Foundations languages, thanks to strengthened and photoof seven journalism. The rest are Founder-editor P documentary the Dhan- an eclectic bunch holding subtitling. added to in theon early houses, with paved gars, a nomadic tribe known Sainath floors pointsand outstone that heartmuch medieval period, other full-time jobs for its biannual of the content media today around AD 700.500-km migrahs, haveinbeen found in tion across Central comes the notinner fromenclosure. reports made The one-km trekIndia. is PhoPotfrom tery the shards, ground, but rings from tographer filmmaker over a gravel and path. The asbronze press Sites like Kalyan a co-founder cent is Varma, far from steep. The of andreleases. fragments of PARI, clay Peepli,position travelled the tribe of thousands’ of followers, fort’s iswith strategic — at and their herds which has ‘tens moulds have also been excavatof sheep. Apart fromon images, the Dhangar sto- buck this trend. the highest point the cliffs ed. At the centre of the enclosure, Meanwhile,close as Peepli seesedge it, a single article, and at the narrowest point of to the of the cliff, even of 3,000stands wordsaornatural more, cannot give the the island. As we plod under the rock platform. full story on a“The complex, multi-layered So afternoon sun, O’Flaherty points platform was likely topic. used for In its heyday, its Dun newsfeed religious draws readers into a prolonged out to the neighbouring fields, ceremonies, as a horde engagement of with issues. Forwas instance, ‘Nadotted with flowers in brilliant Aengus was probably bronze rings foundits at this the political, ture Withoutspot, Borders’ narrative, which looks colours — the hardy gentian probably a ritualistic offereconomic and ritual at man-nature interface and conflicts across whose trumpet-shaped blooms ing,” says O’Flaherty. centre for the a tribe country, with a current focus on Hassan, are a gorgeous lapis, interI walk towards the edge of the Karnataka, already has six articles uploaded spersed with wild lilac orchids. cliff; there is no protective barover five months. As we approach the fort, I can rier, just uninterrupted views of “We hear random bitsAtlantic. of news,I lie as in ‘Tigers see curious arrangements of the North down on ‘Elephants rammed into a stones all around. “These are limestone are my disappearing’ stomach (a or precaution against being hut’. by Butthe wewind) don’tand getcrawl to know blocks, called chevaux de frise, that were erect- village blown away overall to the factors. we follow the ised to deter attackers, and even today they are underlying edge to look downAtatPeepli, the vertigo-inducing months,drop looking intostraight all contributdifficult to negotiate,” says O’Flaherty. We en- sues sightover — a perilous of 100m to the and which possible long-term ter the fort’s middle enclosure Colour through a ing craggyfactors rocks, against the foaming sea central Rains ramifications,” says Varma, who is closely exbreach in the wall; the original doorway, beats mercilessly. in Rajasthan, about 50m to the right from here, is not in use. amining modern civilisation’s interface with another Peepli is a Mumbai-based wildlifejoshi and ecosystems. Thefreelance Peepli food, teamtravel also From the air, Dun Aengus appeared neat prachi photo aarati lifestylesenior writer journalist Prem Panicker, phoincludes semi-circle. “We are not sure if thekumar-rao fort was ev- and
Three young news websites are offering a refreshing, in-depth alternative to the ‘breaking news’ school of journalism
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With love from Siberia
Twist in the tale
A deadly virus is around the corner
Don’t try the railway scene from DDLJ, warn police
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ll you non-believers and naysayers, climate change is for real. This phenomenon is so close at hand that it is waking up a 30,000-year-old giant virus in the frozen wastelands of Siberia. Scientists report that this “giant, soft virus”, which is smaller than your eyelash, is opening its eyes to wreak havoc on the planet. As the Arctic permafrost loses its permanence, Franken-pathogens like Mollivirus sibericum and its cousins are getting a new lease of life. Our newest giant soft-killer is the fourth pre-historic virus found by scientists in the last decade. What will they do? Will they bring disease, destruction and despair? Oh! to be human is a wonderful thing.
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ilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was a trendsetter in many ways. It gave us flirty dresses and catchy dialogues, slices of Europe and Hindustan, and one iconic scene we’ve tried to recreate at every railway station. Haven’t we all dreamed of running along a train as it chugs away, only to fall into the arms of a dashing stranger? Well, the Government Railway Police is on to you. In a one-minute animated video for passenger safety, the GRP turns the adorable filmy encounter into a gore fest. Picture this: Simran is running behind the moving train… and BAM! She slips on a banana peel, falls on to the tracks and is mowed down. Meanwhile Raj, who is hanging at the door, eyes twinkling and arm stretched out, loses his head to a deadly collision with an electric pole. Shudder… Ja, Simran, ja, jile apni zindagi. Or not.
In a league of its own An image from the Untold series ‘Last of the Singing Halakkis’ madhumita nandi
are an eclectic bunch (including some who reader will not consume one well-told, visualhave earned their stripes in adventure sports ly rich story a week, but will consume 100-plus and outdoor activities) holding other full- 400-word stories a day? That model stems time jobs. Sample: Naveed Mulki is writer, run- from being unsure of yourself, of wanting to ner and photographer; Madhumita Nandi is a be all things to all people,” he says. photographer; Tom Jose is a designer and proHis colleague Kumar-Rao thinks slow jourgrammer; and of course Mitta, who happens nalism allows her to tell stories of those who to be a designer. “In the digital age of storytell- are “most dependent on landscapes and those ing, all of these elements contribute to the who are the first to be affected by land-use larger picture,” says Mitta, adding that Untold change”. “The idea is to not reduce any story At least 12 residents of Kanpur have more articles than just pil-from readers. intohen do you buy a Jaguar also accepts andnew photos a snapshot in time, but car? to document lows and mattresses to thank for a good night’s sleep. A bagMost fates probably when your midshifting in the hope that such stories ornings better be worth the ful of the season’s hottest commodity: life will, crisisincomes in,make your wife is drafting Back to rootsOnions, a kilo of somehurtling small way, people Journey to Dawn. The Rolls-Royce introducwhich will set you back by ₹50 or more. Aditya Poddar, who threatening to leave and your children Sainath believes that the need policy think,” she says. Bhatia, nowhere A es its “sexiest” new machine with a owns a bedding store Nagar, is gifting jourhis have two words for you: ‘Get for lost’. But on issues of the hour is “reclaiming who writes Peepli PARI photoin Kidwai 4,800-word eulogy (read press rebuyers onions.ofAmigrants pair of pillows gets you a kilo; adomain pair that would seem nary the case. Recentnalism from corporate related to development and on the lease). It is called Dawn not without of mattresses fetches double the quantity. You ly, two Russian FIVE-YEAR-OLDS and getting it back into public their impact onused people, conKochi-Kadiri reason, for ‘dawns’ apparently are not can always buy more bedding if you’re crav-in a 100 There is no spades from theircurs. sandpit to dig their slow jourhands. This can be done He says, “I think fixed upload rahul m mere unavoidable, natural events. “An ing train onion pakoras. way ofof kindergarten to theexperiencing closdifferent ways, by making journalismand is about a schedule forout any awakening, an opening of one’s senses est Jaguar Oncelife there, they nalism an exercise where pubsubject’s a little more fully.” these sites. Alertsshowroom. and a burst of sunshine…The early day informed the helpfulThere lady they wanted lic participation is maximum”. come through is no fixed upload Facebook chill of dawn provides an erotic tingle to buy aorcar, but had no money forofit.these sites. PARI does not accept corporate schedule for any and Twitter, on the skin awakening the senses andtographer-writer Arati Kumar-Rao and Rahul or government funding. She did the secondAlerts best come thing through — drove Facebook newsletters passions as the day begins,” it says. It’sBhatia, a senior reporter. The site has collected them to the police station. wonUntold’s collective of profesand Twitter,One or newsletters. “Inwise to keep it to the tingle though,more than 30,000 followers since May. ders how these two five-year-olds will sionals, who were drawn todian and international media any more at the wheel, Dawn or not, Garnering more than 60,000 visits since gether by their shared passion deal with their respective mid-life cri- out to us houses have reached broken bones may be all you have. May 28, 2015, Untold is a unique platform for for travel and storytelling, conses, when they arrive. with advice and suggested that stories, be it about a tribe in northern Karnata- tinue to hold their jobs. As Untold is under no they would like to work in partnership with ka, a Lego temple in Maharashtra, Tibetan compulsion to feed the ‘revenue stream’, it di- us. And to our surprise, both common readers monks meeting in Coorg for a worldwide con- rectly reflects on its content. “We care deeply and, in a couple of cases, businessmen have revention, or even an offbeat personal adven- about the stories we put up; we are personally sponded to our stories and asked how they ture in the Himalayas. “We created Untold on connected with the stories,” says Mitta. can help,” says Panicker. In fact, a teaching/ the lines of a storytelling platform, because As for Peepli, the team hopes to apply for learning partnership between the Asian Colstories make places. In fact, Untold is just one funding from various foundations after stabi- lege of Journalism, Chennai and Peepli has part of our ambition,” says its young founder, lising operations. “Half our operating funds taken off this month. Yashas Mitta. come from our pockets, the other half is via a None of these sites have engaged in marketvery kind ‘angel investor’ who liked the con- ing so far. “Reintroducing the art in storytellWho is a journalist? cept and decided she wanted to help,” says ing across formats has been another big These sites signal a paradigm shift in the idea Panicker, Peepli’s series editor. reason for creating Untold, because much of of who is a journalist. PARI, which has no fullthe news stories we come across lack the time employee, works through a core team of Keep it low charm that great content should have,” says 20 members and close to 1,700 volunteers. It Panicker believes that both long and short Mitta. But what about the need to be financialwelcomes ‘contributions’ from everyone — forms of journalism have their place. He finds ly viable? Varma says, “We know that not all stories, images, audio and video clips, techni- it ironical that media gurus trash long-form people have an appetite for this sort of news. cal support and help with translation, subti- journalism but nevertheless pitch for news And we don’t know where we are going to end tling and editing. websites to have between 150-250 news/enter- up; but we know this is how we want to do it.” The core team of Untold has only one per- tainment/sport stories uploaded each day. son with a background in journalism. The rest “How do we reconcile with the logic that a hema vijay is a Chennai-based freelance journalist
Erotica on wheels
Is this the herald of a new ‘Dawn’?
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Sleep well with onions
Kanpur man launches unique scheme to lure buyers to his bedding store
Five, fast and furious
Why do five-year-olds want to buy a Jaguar?
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n September 12, 1943 German commandos rescued Benito Mussolini from house arrest and whisked him back to Berlin. This week’s quiz looks at rescue operations.
here,there & elsewhere
Saving lives
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here are two areas of difficulty on extended car-journeys. One is laundry and the other is food. On this trip, our approach has been to use Laundromats in the small towns we pass through, washing one giant load each time. It’s only clothes and hand-towels, not sheets or quilts, so we manage okay. In India, toilets would also be a problem, but not here. There are usable facilities in most gas-stations and in fast-food joints they are normally clean. Sure, I can remember approaching the rest area in a McDonald’s when I heard one woman loudly berating another woman for making a mess on the toilet seat. To which the mess-maker replied, “I didn’t have a choice! I couldn’t see the seat!” The reason? She was so large that when she emerged from the washroom, she could barely squeeze through the door as she passed me. I remember feeling deep sympathy for all people of unusual girth, as I fled from that place. Food, however, has been a real problem. Not for me, because I am the original fuss-free eater. My three years in boarding school taught me to eat anything short of fresh roadkill. My low-functioning nose means that I can’t tell the difference between ginger and turpentine. The same is true for Punky the Skunk too.
cornerstone
He eats our scraps and, in addition, will snack on all the bugs and moths that Bins hunts down for him, every night, using a flashlight and a handkerchief. But Bins and Birk behave like a pair of Top Chef judges on an unplanned roadtrip. Bins wants spicy food while Birk wants bland. Bins wants Asian while Birk prefers Viking Modern. Both want everything fresh, preferably organic, preferably harvested at dawn by virgin priestesses. And both need fuelling at four-hour intervals. Since fast-food is our typical option, it’s at some anonymous burger-joint that Bins, who
1 carries Punky around in his backpack, goes in to the restroom. A moment later he bursts out of there, followed by a stench so powerful it blots out all reason. “Skunk!” cries someone and the restaurant empties out in seconds. We run too, forgetting our hunger and all other bodily needs. Leaving Punky behind. There’s nothing we can do about it. The smell isn’t exactly ugly. It has a herbal quality to it, with an undertow of coffee and sulphur. But it’s so strong that even the first whiff of it causes my brain to melt and drain out of my ears. We run to the car, with tears streaming from our eyes. Not just because we have to leave Punky behind but for fear we might not get away fast enough. Later, Bins tries to explain what happened. “I’m getting ready to take a leak, but the bag is open and out he jumps. This other fellow sees him and starts to yell ...” Silence in the car for many miles. Finally Birk says, in a hoarse voice, “He’ll survive. He’ll get away. Skunks are tough.” Bins says, “I’m not!” and blows his nose noisily. manjula padmanabhan, author and artist, writes of her parallel life in the fictional town of Elsewhere, US, in this weekly column
Which film, dealing with a daring rescue operation in the late ’70s, is based on CIA operative Antonio J Mendez’s book The Master of Disguise and also Joshua Berman’s Wired article titled ‘The Great Escape?’
2
The RMS Carpathia was used as a troop ship by the US towards the end of World War I and was torpedoed by a German submarine in 1918. But the ship earned acclaim for an act it performed before the war. What is it?
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Which animal was portrayed in a particular way in an 1820 painting by Edwin Landseer that started an untrue legend in the world of rescue?
4
In the film and book Black Hawk Down, from the militia of which African country do the US Special Action Forces try to rescue the crew of two helicopters?
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Operation Entebbe is considered the gold standard for hostage rescue missions where 256 hostages were saved and all eight hijackers killed by the elite Israeli special forces. Which international airline’s plane was hijacked in July, 1976?
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After parting ways with the ship, the Cinque Ports, which sailor spent four years in an uninhabited valley in the Juan Fernandez archipelago before being rescued by the ship Duke?
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Since 2004, which rock star has worked as an emergency medical technician in New York City and has been credited with saving at least two lives, including a woman, whom he revived with a defibrillator?
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Which film star is a veteran helicopter pilot who has participated in many rescue missions, including the evacuation of a boy scout lost in Yellowstone National Park in 2001?
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Fiction. When Sir Percy Blakeney rescued French aristocrats from the guillotine, what symbol did he leave behind on a card to taunt his enemies?
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In 1963, the Hurst Performance company built a series of hydraulic rescue tools to assist emergency rescue personnel in the extrication of crash victims. By which threeword name are they better known? Answers 1. Argo (2012), which received seven Oscar nominations and won in three categories 2. The Carpathia was the first rescue ship to reach the Titanic and picked up more than 700 survivors from lifeboats 3. St Bernard dogs carrying brandy casks around their necks during rescue operations. Liquor casks were never attached to rescue dogs 4. Somalia, these were troops loyal to faction leader Mohamed Farrah Aidid, who was later killed by a rival faction 5. Air France, the operation was conducted at the Entebbe airport in Uganda 6. Alexander Selkirk, his story was the inspiration for Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe 7. David Lee Roth, lead singer of Van Halen. The group’s latest album was released in 2012 8. Harrison Ford. He regularly assists the Teton County Search and Rescue team in the US 9. A scarlet pimpernel, which is also the name of the novel written by Baroness Emma Orczy 10. Jaws of Life, a term coined by Mike Brick, one of the first to develop a single tool to perform all the functions of rescue
joy bhattacharjya is a quizmaster and Project Director, FIFA U-17 World Cup. t@joybhattacharj
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