Live Like a Flame

Live Like a Flame

If you live at all

Take me to your Reader Live Like a Flame RSS Feed
 
 
 
 

Magic Wallrush Tomorrow

I am told that the Magic Wallrush (a street event organised by students and citizens where you can buy art, crafts and listen to live music) is being held tomorrow (Sunday 7 March 2010) starting around 9am at the demolished (?) Salvation Army building on Sudder Street. Here are some pictures that I’d forgotten about of the last Wallrush, which was on Park Street in front of the now closed T3 shop.

Suad Amiry in Kolkata

Sharon and My Mother in Law

Sharon and My Mother in Law

I should write a few lines about my interaction with Suad Amiry, and what it taught me about Palestine and India. Suad was here at the end of last month on the final leg of her India tour, supported by Women Unlimited, who are publishing Menopausal Palestine in India. Suad was extremely charming and wowed audiences, and it was a pleasure to be on a panel with her at Weavers’ Studio, and later to host her at JU.

Suad is half Jordanian, has taught architecture at Birzeit University and now runs her own research centre, and speaks fluent English. She therefore occupies a rare position of privilege in Ramallah’s impoverished and isolated society. Her first book, Sharon and My Mother-in-Law, is a poignantly funny and ironic account of the 42-day curfew inmposed in Ramallah in 2001. Her mother-in-law was then living right next to Arafat’s headquarters, and Suad had to rush to her in a rare two-hour respite from curfew and bring her to live with them. Thuis began two occupations, she says: Sharon’s outside the house, and her mother-in-law’s within. There are more such funny/bitter incidents, as when her puppy gets a Jerusalem passport but she does not (she breezes through the Israeli checkpoint claiming to be the puppy’s driver), when she stares at a soldier and nearly gets herself arrested, when she suspects a gift from a dodgy friend is bugged, and more. Her style is sharp, witty and astringent, rather like turbo Gerald Durrell with political overtones.

Sharon and My Motehr-in-Law was born out of emails that Suad sent to friends while cooped up at home with her insufferable mother-in-law and the fear of Israeli bombs, where she described their predicament as a means of relief from the horror of it. This gives the anecdotes a charming liveliness and immediacy. This is clearly laughing to keep from crying, with the edge of tragedy always trailing at the edge of the scene. She says at one point that one either has to step outside of the situation and see it as an absurdist play, or one goes slowly mad from the weight of irrationality and prejudice, hatred and harrassment, that is the legacy of every Palestinian.

Menopausal Palestine

Menopausal Palestine

The second book, which is published in India by Women Unlimited, is a more serious and self-conscious work. It is the stories of eight of Suad’s women friends, all of whose lives have been touched and sometimes twisted by the conflict in Palestine. This book has a testamentary feel to it: it lacks the explosive wit of the first. The introductory chapter is witty and sharp as before, but the shield of irony that keeps Suad from sentimentalising her own story is absent here. It is hard not to be affected by what has happened to these women.

With characteristic polemic she claims that Palestine, an aging, forgetful, angry, heated, isolated and scatty state, is menopausal, and its predicament is as unmentionable as menopause is. As an illustration of how true this is, her book was reviewed in the inside (ie women’s) pages of national dailies, since the word ‘menopause’ could not appear on the front page. This is regardless fo the fact that the book isn’t really about menopause at all. It is about frustration and disempowerment.

There are resonances also with the predicaments of women affected by conflict here in India, although our disputes are less overt and less clearly delineated than Palestine’s. Think for example of Taslima Nasreen’s continued persecution, such that just the other day two people were killed in protests in Shimoga over something she had written. No other writer in India is kept under such scrutiny or reacted to with such violence.  M.F. Husain has become a citizen of Qatar because India is as yet incapable of taking him back and of assuring his safety if he returned. Shah Rukh Khan is ignoring the memory of Rizwanur Rahman. The strike in Pune on the German Bakery was apparently targeted at Chabad House, a Jewish Centre nearby. Are we any different from Palestine?  In fact the ordinary Jewish and Muslim people of the Levant appear on better terms with each other than we are with our fellow Indian citizens.

Gour Mohan Sachin Mondal College

On Tuesday I was supposed to give a paper at Gour Mohan Sachin Mondal College in Lakshmikantapur at a conference on popular literature, sponsored by the UGC and the American Library. Accordingly a group of us drove down in a Toyota Qualis, crossing Diamond Harbour and reaching the college by 12. There we found that the TMC had blockaded the gateway of the college, demanding ‘free passes’ to what they imagined were the sybaritic delights of disucssion panels. Most of the slogans were incomprehensible, but one that stood out was: ‘Chhatrader taka shude khatie mohajoggo cholbe na cholbe na’ or ‘Lending student’s money out at interest to fund this mega ritual will not be allowed.’ Conference organizers, crushed under the weight of correspondence, train schedules and receipts for paper napkins, might conceivably agree that ‘mohajoggo’ is an apt description, but lending money out at interest is not a luxury most academics can afford. Oh, and another one was ‘UCG pherod jao’. The protesters, most of them above forty, gaped briefly at the unfortunate American Centre delegates (who hightailed it out of there with understandable haste) and were then inspected glumly by the Pro VC and Registrar of Calcutta University.

The poor GMSM faculty, most of them very young and full of beans about their first big conference, were devastated. Some of them were in tears. We made contingency plans to hold the conference in the Lincoln Room some time before the end of the month. Watch this space.

We all then left for the city, stopping off for lunch at Diamond Harbour, where we heard that TMC was also picketing the Syndicate meeting on College Street. Sigh.

This is how close we got to the gate.

This is how close we got to the gate.

GMSM College.

Some students were milling bemusedly

GMSM College.

A nice holiday was had by all. The mood of Holi still prevailed

GMSM College.

We provided some transient entertainment

And finally, a reminder that China Mieville is speaking today at JU at 11am and at Oxford Bookstore (which is open to all) at 6pm in conversation with Abhijit Gupta.

This Morning’s Times of India

I know that print ads are placed well in advance, and are difficult to pull at short notice, but this morning this is what we see on the last page of Calcutta Times.

SRK and the KKR team with the t shirts

SRK and the KKR team with the t shirts

And check out the fine print. Seriously, who writes this stuff.

SRK

The fine print

The Second Open Letter to Shahrukh Khan

Reposting this here.

RBC

Dear Shahrukh

Let us (Conscience of Calcutta) thank you for ‘putting on hold’ the relationship of Knight Riders with Lux Industries.

The speed with which your management responded has reinforced our conviction that the team’s owners are at heart ethical, sensitive and patriotic citizens.

It is precisely with this in mind that we must present our second point that has been deeply troubling citizens over the last fortnight.

The issue: Your endorsement of the Lux-Cozi brand in a personal capacity.

A number of television commercials over the last few days have shown you endorsing the products of Lux Industries. While we recognize that this represents a legal income source for you, there is a moral and ethical issue that has hurt and disappointed thousands of fair-minded citizens.

The background is that the promoters of Lux Industries (owners of the Lux-Cozi brand) are engaged in an ongoing controversy about the mysterious death of Rizwan who was married to the daughter of the company’s promoter.

The media has over the last two-and-a-half years written extensively about how the Todis interfered with the decision of two adult individuals to marry and how they attempted to separate the two, culminating in the alleged killing / suicide abetment of Rizwan.

The legal process to identify the culprits and affix responsibility is presently under way.

The reasons why we request you to discontinue your endorsement of the Lux-Cozi brand are given below:

  • Your endorsement is being widely seen as providing public respectability to the Lux-Cozi brand, the company that owns it and the individuals who promoted the company (who have, as mentioned, been accused of having played a role in the killing / suicide abetment of Rizwan).
  • Your endorsement could indirectly influence public opinion even as the legal process is under way. <
  • You are a public role model with an impeccably clean record (no drunken driving, no drugs, no extra marital affairs, no shooting animals, no environment pollution, no bribery, no tax evasion, no criminal nexus). You are also an inspirational symbol of the opportunities of a free and fair India (originated from a minority background, risen from scratch, fitness, self-made success, religious tolerance and inter-religious marriage). When one keeps all these things in perspective, then your association with brands/companies/individuals with a suspect background is viewed as a deviation.
  • Your cinematic profile - Mohan Bhargava, Kabir Khan and Rizwan Khan - has stood for the clean Indian. For the first time, we now see a break from what you have portrayed on screen and what you are demonstrating in real life.

A number of citizens have succinctly encapsulated our hurt and disappointment in a simple line that we shall repeat here: ‘Shahrukh, how could you of all people do this?’
We end with the optimism that just as you responded from the heart and won over citizens with your speed and sensitivity a few days ago, you will respond likewise on this issue as well.
With a deep trust in your sense of values,

Kishwar Jahan, mother of Rizwan, with the following citizens:

Iftekhar Ahsan, hospitality professional

Rila Banerjee, musician

Dr Kallol Banerjee, medical professional

Ananda Basu, lawyer

Abbas Bengali, interior designer

Lovey Burman, entrepreneur

Abanti Chakraborty, theatre director

Jayanta Chatterjee, businessman-Rotarian

Rimi B. Chatterjee, writer and teacher

Payal Chitlangia, citizen

Soumyadip Chowdhury, portfolio manager

Dr Zarine Dadina, paediatrician

Vivek Das, commercial photographer

Sushismita Dasgupta, textile-costume designer

Dr Zahid Gangjee, behaviourial scientist

Deepa Gangjee, yoga teacher

Abhijit Gupta, university faculty

Dr Fuad Halim, medical professional

Nidhi Haralalka, advertising professional

Anuradha Kapur, social activist

G.M. Kapur, conservation consultant

Naveen Kishore, publisher

Dr Ajoy Mistry, medical entrepreneur

Mustafa Muchhala, management consultant

Hena Nafis, nutritionist

Meher Nowroji, citizen

Mudar Patherya, communications consultant

Shalini Patherya, communications consultant

Abhay Phadnis, management consultant

Ram Ray, advertising professional

Nitai Mukherjee, social activist

Dr Ranjan Raychowdhury, medical professional

Dipen Sheth, citizen

Neena Singh, educationist

Rehan Waris, Rizwan confidant

Read the latest ten

What we're talking about

Easy ways to find things

Old flames

Tag nimbus

21 under 40 2001: A Space Odyssey A.K. Ramanujam Abha Iyengar Abhirup Sarkar Above Average Academic academics acting activism Adolf Hitler Aikido Alchemy of Desire Alexander McCall Smith Alka Saraogi Amitabha Bagchi Amitava Banerjee Amitav Ghosh Amruta Patil Anand C.P. Satchidanand Animal's People animation Anita Roy Anjana Basu Anjum Hasan Antisense Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival Aravind Adiga Arindam Seal art Arthur C. Clarke Arunava Sinha Arzee the Dwarf Asha NArang Spaak Ashokamitran Ashok Todi Asia Pacific Writer's Partnership Atahualpa awards Ayn Rand Babulal Barack Obama Ben Crystal Bengal bengali Bhalchandra Nemade Bhopal Bindu Badshah Birla Planetarium black light Black Tongue blogs Blue Frog blues Booker Prize Book Fair Books British Council Buddhadev Bhattacharya Buddhism Buff Huntley Burrabazar Calcutta call for papers cancer cars Cars & Driving cars and driving caste censorship Chandrahas Choudhury chandrayaan Chennai China China MIeville City of Love Comics comments Communism computer games conference Contests CPRACSIS craft creative writing cricket Criticism culture Dandi March David B Death by Fire Debating Matters Deepak Sharma Deeptanil Ray Delhi department of English Derangements Dhakuria Dhruba Chatterjee Diptanshu Roy dog dojo drama Dubravka Ugresic Durga economics Edinburgh Epileptic Events fantasy Far Cry feminism festivals fiction film Films Floatel French Fringe Festival Furfura Sharif gender Generation 14 Germany Gloriana google google group Gopal Krishna Gandhi Gour Mohan Sachin Mondal College graphic novels Gregory David Roberts health Heavy Metal FAKK 2 Hindutva history History of the Book homeopathy human rights Idris Ali If It Is Sweet India Indian Institute of Advanced Study Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy Indian Museum Indrajit Hazra Indra Sinha inspiration internet interviews Jadavpur University James A. Coghlan James Scudamore jazz Jhumpa Lahiri Jocelyn Ortt Saeed John Drew JUDE Julie Strain Kai Friese Kala Ghoda Arts Festival Kalpa Kancha Ilaiah Karate Kari Kiran Desai Knight of the Burning Pestle Kolkata Kolkata Book Fair Kriyetic Lakshika Pandey Landmark launch lesbianism literature Live Like a Flame London Institute of South Asia Lord Hayes Masque louise doughty Luigi Pirandello M.F. Husain magazine Magic Wallrush Mahatma Gandhi Maina Bhagat Mala Sen Mamata Banerjee Maps for Lost Lovers Martial Arts materia medica media menstruation Michelle Cahill Mike Bryan Military Cafe Mini Kanoria Mohit Srivastava moon Moushumi Bhowmik Mridula Koshy Mumbai music My Fiction Nadeem Islam Naina Kapur Namdeo Dhasal Namita Devidayal Narendra Modi National Institute of Design Navayana Nazism Neel Mukherjee Neeta Deshpande Neil Gaiman Netaji Subash Chandra Bose newspaper newspapers nineteenth century north east No Strings Attached notice novels Observant Owl Olympics Oxford Oxford Bookstore P. Lal Palestine Pami Singh Park Circus Penguin Persephone's Bees pet Peter de Sousa pictures Pioneer Plays Poems Politics pornography Prince of Persia Priya Sarukkai Chabria prizes Project C publishing race Rahul Bose Rajorshi Chakraborti Ramayana RAni Drew Ranjan Das Ravi Dayal reading Rented House reservation reunion review Rizwanur Rahman Robin David Rohan Ganguli Ruchir Joshi Rudraprasad Sengupta Rukmini Bhaya Nair Rupam Islam Sampurna Chattarji Samya Sasthi Brata Savita bhabhi Scholars without Borders science science fiction Seagull Sea of Poppies Sebanti Sarkar Sekhar Mukherjee sex Shagufta Kalim Shah Rukh Khan Shakespeare Shankar Shankarpur Shantaram Shillong Shimla Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay short stories Shweta Rao Signal Red Singapore Singur Six Characters in Search of an Author Smita Bharti smoking ban social justice Sohini Haldar song Sonia Jabbar Soumyak Kanti De Biswas Space sports Srijan Srijato Stalinism Star Ananda Statesman Vintage Car rally Stories Suad Amiry Subhas Chakraborty submissions Subodh Sarkar Suchitra Bhattacharya Sudhanva Deshpande Sudipto Sanyal Sujoy Chakravarty Sukanta Chaudhuri Suneetha M.R. Supersonics sushil samaj Suzanne Aspden Swarup Ray Tabish Khair Taj Tanaji Dasgupta Tarun Tejpal Taslima Nasreen Tata Technocool terrorism Thank You for Not Reading Theatre The Attic the environment The Impossible Journey Thrissur Tibet Tin Can Tranquebar translation travel Tughlaqabad Union Carbide Usha Ganguly Usha K.R. Vaishali Mallik video Vidya Rao Vijay Nambisan Vinayak Das Gupta White Tiger Why I am Not a Hindu William Dalrymple William St Clair Word Power Books wordpress Wordpress upgrade version 2.6.1 Workshops Worldview Bookstore World War II Writers' Workshop writing YouTube Zubaan

Indiblogger

Facebook fan box

Academic

Artists

Comics

Friends

Indian Online Booksellers

Interesting young things

JUDE

Project C-kers

Publishers

Space

Viral

Weird Stuff

Writers

Meta