Unlike a lot of people, writing does not come to me naturally.  It has been a slow and difficult learning process, and I had to contend with massive writing project as I started the dissertation.  As it turned out, writing the dissertation was fun, but not always.  It took me an year and a half to write the dissertation after the fieldwork, and in the process, it helped me to know what other writers had gone through.  A lot of that advice came from the committee and from my peers at the University, and some of it came from webcasts on the art of writing.

These talks helped me reflect on writing: why I write, how to write, and what one goes through as a writer.  It helped me anticipate that I will have to re-write again and again, and that there will be days when I will get stuck staring at a blank page or a half-written paragraph.  It is not that these talks ensured that I did not get stuck, but it helped to know that it happens.  More  than anything else, they helped me remember that writing can be fun; something that a lot of us in the run to finish a long project forget.

Click on the list icon that looks like a stack of cards in the bottom to see the entire list of videos, or you can always visit my YouTube channel here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Jaswant Singh, a senior BJP leader, gave a two part interview in CNN-IBN on his recently released biography of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. The interview by Karan Thapar focused the role of Jinnah and Indian leaders like Nehru, Gandhi and Rajaji in the saga of partition. Majority of us Indians are used to considering Jinnah as the villain of the piece and sentiments about him are so strong that Advani was asked to step down as the BJP president for just making a statement that Jinnah was a great leader. In this polemic context, Jaswant Singh’s nuanced view of partition was both rare and delightful.

In this interview with Karan Thapar, Jaswant Singh argued that Jinnah used Pakistan as a bargaining tactic to secure more autonomy for Muslims in India. Jinnah’s position was appreciated by leaders like Gandhi and Rajaji, but Nehru with his vision of centralised socialist nation was not able to appreciate Jinnah’s demand. Congress in general was not able to come to grips with federalism and the majoritarian tendency with Congress at the helm made Jinnah uncomfortable.

Jaswant Singh took a strong stand that Jinnah was a (Indian) nationalist for most of his life, but was repeatedly not able to find a political space for Muslims. He also took a firm stand against the popular notion that Jinnah was a Hindu-hater. While he was critical of Nehru and Gandhi for certain things, Jaswant Singh displayed a rare sensitivity and balance in seeing their position as well. It was remarkable that on a polarising topic like Indo-Pak partition, he was able to criticise certain acts without villainising Gandhi or Nehru.

This was an unusually bold act for many reasons.  It was not long back that Advani was asked to step down.  If praising Jinnah would infuriate his colleagues, I wonder is in store for his praising Gandhi and Nehru, two people that BJP has grown accustomed to criticise.  Jaswant Singh is not going to win friends in Congress either for calling Nehru and Gandhi great statesmen and patriots; for Congress is a party accustomed to blind hero worship and will not have the guts to accept that some of its tallest leaders of the past did some mistakes.  I do not know what this book and the interview will do to Jaswant’s political future, but I atleast hope that he will win enough fans among the Indian public.

Many of us may have differences with Jaswant Singh on his reading of history (at least parts of it), or his position on certain issues like reservation policies; and we should disagree with him if we have a reason to. What is beyond my doubt is that if we have leaders who could perform this way on polarising issues, our democracy will have a reason to flourish.

The interviews can be found in CNN-IBN website under the programme “Devil’s Advocate”. Part 1 can be found here and Part 2 of the interview here.

Ps. The joy of the interview was tempered by the inconsiderate and dismissive response by the Congress spokesperson. I guess I should not get carried away by the prospects for democratic discussion.

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Over the last few years, I have developed an interest in international affairs. Unfortunately, International English news sources were dominated by channels in USA and Britain.  BBC and CNN that were available widely had some high quality programmes but put forward highly circumscribed views.  My earning for diversity of views got a fillip with online news channels.  I am now trying to compile a list of good weekly programmes, documentaries, etc. that we can watch now and then to catch up with major issues in different countries.  Without such a list, it would be impossible to keep up with all the new resources that are becoming available now through You Tube and other sources.

Your suggestions please

I will build a list and publish it here soon.  In the meanwhile, I would appreciate your suggestions from mainstream or alternate channels from different regions.  Some examples include:

1. NDTV (India): We the people
2. CNN-IBN (India): Devil’s advocate
3. Al Jazeera’s (Middle East): People & Power
4. Dawn News TV (Pakistan): Talk back
5. BBC (UK): Hard talk
6. PBS (USA): Frontline
7. CNN (USA): GPS by Fareed Zakaria
8. University of California Television (USA): Conversations with history
9. Fox News (USA): O’Reilly Factor (To say the least, this represents a point of view!)

I would like to expand this list and identify good sources for other areas including African countries, Latin America, etc. If you know of a good crisp TV programme that is available online, please let me know with a comment below.

Thank you.

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No Man’s Land

Year: 2001

Writer: Danis Tanovic

Director: Danis Tanovic

Category: Drama

Rating: 4 out of 5

Three wounded soldiers Ciki, Cera (Bosnians) and Nino (Serbian) get caught in a trench in the no man’s land. Cera is lying on a mine that would burst if he moves. There is tension as well as friendship between the three. Nino went to school with Ciki’s ex-girlfriend. They both are trapped in a deadly situation that they want to escape from. But they blame their predicament on each other, keeping them suspicious and leading to periodic breakout of fights between them. The entire war moves metaphorically into the trench

Three bored French soldiers try to rescue them but face stumbling blocks from the UN that prefers to ‘distribute 120 grams of food’ to people than to intervene militarily. Later they are forced to respond as the story goes into the American media. The French team returns with a German bomb disposal expert. A large crew of Western media people follow them and they are joined by the English speaking chief from the UN. And in one symbolic moment, the tragedy of the war between Bosnians and Serbians is put in its international context beautifully by the first time director – Danis Tanovic.

Danis Tanovic’s script and directorial style are the movies strong points. The plot was certainly powerful, but all too often we see directors spoiling a great story by doing too much. Most importantly, they have managed to avoid high-sentimentality, histrionics or powerful speeches by the actors. Reflecting this he said in an interview, “I didn’t want to make another film where you’re just going to blow 200 young soldiers away in the first twelve minutes”. Danis had a powerful story to say, and he did it in style. It’s one movie that a movie lover SHOULD try.

Three bored French soldiers try to rescue them but face stumbling blocks from the UN that prefers to ‘distribute 120 grams of food’ to people than to intervene militarily. Later they are forced to respond as the story goes into the American media. The French team returns with a German bomb disposal expert. A large crew of Western media people follow them and they are joined by the English speaking chief from the UN. And in one symbolic moment, the tragedy of the war between Bosnians and Serbians is put in its international context beautifully by the first time director – Danis Tanovic.

Danis Tanovic’s script and directorial style are the movies strong points. The plot was certainly powerful, but all too often we see directors spoiling a great story by doing too much. Most importantly, they have managed to avoid high-sentimentality, histrionics or powerful speeches by the actors. Reflecting this he said in an <a href=”http://www.iofilm.co.uk/feats/interviews/d/danis_tanovic.shtml” target=”_new”>interview</a>, “I didn’t want to make another film where you’re just going to blow 200 young soldiers away in the first twelve minutes”. Danis had a powerful story to say, and he did it in style. It’s one movie that a movie lover SHOULD try. // –>

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This post is in reaction to a friend’s post about Mani Ratnam’s brilliance when it comes to handling children.  Citing Kannathil Muthamittal and Anjali he says,

The master director’s known for his ability to extract the best from the kids – Anjali had proved that way back in eighties. But, then “Kannathil Muthamittal” truly showed how Mani Ratnam can ellicit complex adult emotions from a child.

I think his choice of movies could not have been worse.  For MR kids are only noisy, perpetually-running, yelling, brats. I sometimes feel that he merely takes a an adult character, adds a lot of yelling and running to it and makes a child act that role.  When it comes to children, I think there’s nothing to beat the Iranians.  They have the ability to craft child-like characters and get the best of the child actors.

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This satirical comedy is about Mario’s dreams to join his son for a comfortable life in the United States. After elaborate preparations, his visa to the US is denied. He then tries to commit a robbery to gather the money to get a visa from the black market. In the meanwhile, he meets a philosophically inclined prostitute who loves Bolivia and finds heaven where she is. Most of the movie deals with her dialogue with Mario: a dialogue between different dreams.

Unlike movies from other parts of the world (especially Hollywood), Latin American movies are something that I am able to connect with immediately as an Indian. The sets, stories, aspirations, and a lot else are very similar to what I find at home. Concerned about a potential traffic jam, I have reached the US Consulate one hour before my interview. As I wait for my turn for the US Visa right in front of the US Consulate, I am reminded of this beautiful Bolivian movie I watched in New York.

I am sitting now in a browsing center opposite the US Consulate at Madras, watching a long line of nervous people in the Madras heat. As I wait my turn, I see people holding their aspirations in their plastic folders, refusing to move out of the hot sun even if their interview appointment is a long time away. Some are praying and a few others are engaged in a nervous conversation. One girl is so prepared that coach has even given her a layout of the US Consulate specially marking where the restrooms are! I guess such detailed preparation is making her more nervous than calming. The debate between life in India and the US Visa is raging daily among families here. Like in the Bolivian movie, where there is a chance, the US visa seems to win the day.

Shot in beautiful Bolivia with Mexican stars, the movie may be foreign to many of us in India and elsewhere…but its theme is right from our neighborhood. // –>

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Mozhi is one of the finest Tamil movies to come in this decade. It’s worth watching, and watching again. Karthik (played by Prithviraj) falls in love with Archana (Jyothika) by just seeing her in action. He learns soon that she is hearing and speech disabled. In a bid to win her love, he accosts her. As they become friends he grows to admire her for growing beyond her disabilities into a confident person. A rift develops between them when Archana realizes that Karthik thinks of her ‘nature’ as a ‘disability’. Once they get over it Karthik proposes marriage and it’s time for Archana to confront her insecurities…

In a rare departure, this Tamil movie puts a disabled character at the centre of the plot. It does not bother Archana that she does not speak or hear. But for a small part, the movie does not show her as someone disserving of pity, in fact she is confident, talented and comfortable with herself. As the theme song puts it, “Mauname unnidam antha mounam thane azhagu” (Oh silent one, silence is beautiful in you), emphasis is laid on accepting disabled people as they are.

This was Jyothika’s last movie before her marriage and there could have been no better way to say (a brief?) farewell to the screen. Prakash Raj plays Prithvi Raj’s friend in a neatly crafted character. He brings to the screen a fine brand of humour. Swarnamalaya plays a fine accompanying role. The movie abounds with other nicely fitting characters, all of whom live in an apartment complex. // –>

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Here’s a news item from the Real news network on India’s refusal to sign the cluster bomb treaty along with China, US (not surprisingly), Israel, Russia and Pakistan.What is shocking though is the paltry coverage it got in Indian media for an issue that is clearly important. ToI, NDTV, Zee News, Economic Times, and a few others carried an article straight from Associated Press or other services. Given that India had not signed this treaty, some home work could have been done here – but NOTHING was done. This is true of the highly celebrated Hindu as well. No interviews, no commentaries, no reasons offered as to why India did not sign the treaty…the silence is total.

Short video on the treaty

Poor coverage in Indian media

The coverage by Indian media is so un-reflecting that Zee News could carry the headline “111 nations adopt cluster bomb treaty, but not US”…being an Indian media outlet, were they not obliged to highlight India’s stand? The issue was so hushed up, that I had to discover it through Al Jazeera that carried the video above. Thanks to Indian media’s slience, we know not why India did not even participate in the treaty.

Poor media coverage is not a reflection of media’s priorities alone. It reflects the fact that no one in India must have campaigned actively for India to join the treaty. It’s a failure on the part of the civil society here. Even if a small group had taken interest, it would have made it to the media.  Unfortunately, the way a lot of international treaties work is through Western mediation with an agenda set in the West without much domestic consultation.

It looks like India is one of the major producers of cluster bombs. It is unlikely that commercial interests will make way for moral and social concerns without strong public support – no effort has gone into securing it in this country.

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Eisenhover in a memorable speech talked of the danger of the military industrial complex.  His warning has sadly been borne out time and again in the decades following the speech. In this context calculations of gain overwhelm concerns for morality in foreign policy.  Thankfully, the same decades have also seen an appreciable growth of people’s voices for peace.  This movement has made remarkable use of media to covey its message; this song by Jayashree is a good example of such efforts.

Set in the tune of the Sinhalese song “Surangani” that took India by storm, “American war par da” is a spoof of US foreign policies.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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