Of casteism, discourse, et al…

When I was watching the Netflix series, “Daughters of Destiny”, I walked into it with the back context that the protagonists, about four or five girls, were from the lowest castes in the social order, besides hailing from some of the poorest families. Their “saviour”, was Abraham George, an US returned corporate turned social entrepreneur, who started the Shanthi Bhavan School, on the outskirts of Bangalore. This was clearly a docu drama to higlight the "evil" of the caste system and set the premise for a Christian conversion agenda, my skeptical mind told me, as I ambled along the series.

As I continued to watch, my skepticism gave way to admiration – I would go to the extent to say whatever be George’s agenda or whatever be the motive of that skillfully crafted web series, if one individual has managed to transform the lives of children of so many underprivileged families, then he is a catalyst to social reform. Other assumptions and presumptions be damned.

Post watching this, a lot of questions which keep coming to my mind, resurfaced.

For some years now, many among the privileged castes in this country want to desperately believe that Brahmins and others from the traditionally privileged castes are now being marginalized, that they are being bashed, thrashed, and mercilessly called out for things done by their ancestors. And with the political climate of "pseudo secularism" thrown in, this set of people are deeply angry and unhappy.

While some of their grievances are true, and I do not discount those, I do believe casteism was taken to its deepest nadir in the last few centuries, when the privileged, particularly the Brahmin community, refused to even look at people from the lower castes. There is an infamous parable I have heard about a great grandfather of mine, who would stop eating and walk away from his lunch if he so much as heard the voice of the village tanner from outside. What sort of arrogance and entitlement was that? And why are we planning to forget any of it now? It should serve us as a reminder of an inglorious past - whenever we choose to cry hoarse.

In my 20s and my 30s, I never wanted to be an apologist. I used to abhor the fact that I was having to tell enraged, resentful people I knew that I was not responsible for the excesses of my forefathers. And that I owed no apology to anyone. But now, my views have undergone a fair amount of churn, and I choose to state my view a little differently than before.

My submission is this, and I have been saying this quite frequently to those who do not choose to see: Any social transition is going to bring its share of fair and unfair to all people. There will be a lot of muck that comes forth - 4 of the biggest upheavals in modern history of race (white vs black), gender (man vs woman), caste (privileged vs backward castes in Hindu society) and sexuality (hetero vs same sex) have thrown up the vomit that was buried deep in our underbelly. The narrative has moved or is moving rapidly from the first party to the second in each case, so there will be rage, accusations, counter narratives, slander (justified and otherwise) that will become a part of discourse. Why can we not be objective about this? Each one perceives the truth as he or she has seen and heard it. For every one person who is objective or rational, or data driven, there will be 99 who will be emotional and biased. And so be it.

It will be that we will tend to bucket all discourse and give it names.

When a person from a "privileged" caste speaks up against casteism, he will be labelled liberal or apologist, and when he doesn’t, he will be called casteist.

“The Daughters of Destiny” - at first sight, comes off as the ordinary story of 4 girls moving in and out of their lives, taking video bytes of the principal characters in the docu-drama, including family members. But, what really holds the narrative is the girls and their stories – the dramatic and extraordinary transformation they would have otherwise not been able to get access to, if they hadn’t landed in the place they finally came to be in. The docu drama patiently traces their metamorphosis in first, second and third person narratives over a number of years.

Among the many strong moments, I recall one of the girls poignantly making a remark, and in clear English, “It is simply unacceptable for people to look down upon another human being. I cannot bear to think I was born in a situation where my people have been looked down upon for centuries. I want to change all of it.” A moving statement - it was a teenager, who was asking very genuinely to be treated as a human. In a sense, she was declaring her fundamental right, and she had been empowered with the right skills to make such a matter-of-fact but powerful statement. It is as simple as that. And so be it. Why should we have a problem with her assertion? 

The twistedness of narrative in this day and age is not alien to me. So, if someone were to ask me, "Is casteism dead?", I would explain with a counter, "Has corruption been eradicated from our system?"

 I will not bother to explain myself repeatedly to naysayers of the caste debate, who want to live in constant denial or to the virulent "Brahmin" bashers who are in a tearing hurry to reach their fallacy of an idyllic "caste-free" world. The truth is far more complex. And we are in 2020, mind you - it is just too difficult a time in history for us to say who the victor is, and who the victim.

Kaaga Ka Munder Pe Bolna: The Film Music Connection

My Musings on the phrase, "Kaaga Ka Munder Be Bolna", and its deep rooted connection with Hindi Film Music!





Its references to earlier songs, from songstress Suraiya's croon from the 1947 hit, "Parwana" - my memories go back to Radio Ceylon and childhood!





And then, the reference to the double blockbuster, "Hum Aapke Hain Kaun" - Maayini Maayi Munder Pe Tere" - straight from the teen years (1994)

Bas Pyaar Hi Pyaar Pale : A Chiranthana Dream

I often write my own stuff on my blog - my musings, film and play reviews and other small assorted thoughts, or some random nice things written about me by friends :P, today, deviating from norm and presenting one of the most moving pieces I have read in recent times - penned by my bestie, and my wonder woman friend, Rachana Prasad, this is a mother's narrative. Her inspiration? Her daughter. Her strength? Love and a determination to change the life of every special child she can see. Read on, as Rachana now moves to the next phase of her dream - starting a vocational center of excellence for special children..

 

I dedicate this article to all the lovely parents of children with special needs. Special needs include medical conditions, developmental delays, psychiatric conditions, physical impairments and genetic disorders. Every parent goes through their bouts of victories and challenges, good days and bad days, rights and wrongs, to-dos and not to dos while bringing up these children.

In the initial years, while I was inducting myself into space of special education, inclusion into the mainstream didn’t seem like a distant dream. Thought these children will eventually immerse well into the system like how a stream gently merges with the river, only to prove me wrong later on in life.

We humans are social beings. We need to belong, we need friendships, and we feel the urge to bond with one another. It’s very disheartening to see that children with disabilities are just not a part of our significant mainstream.

I would like to quote five of these important learnings of my life, which my journey as a mother of a very beautiful child has taught me:

      My heart aches when I see my daughter stop by to see girls of her age happily chatting and playing with one another. She waits for a minute to see if she’ll be considered too; but alas, no one actually cares. She has no friends at all…But the girl knows how to bear it all, unlike her mother whose heart immediately breaks. As I look at her; she seems to be saying:

Lesson 1:   “In my loneliness, I learn the ways of the world….. It’s not bad at all”

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     As she sees a toddler in the park, her eyes widen in amusement. She knows she won’t be judged. She is lavish with her cuddles and love. But the child disappears into mother’s arms after a while and the girl just looks on…She says:

Lesson 2: “‘Now’ is most precious. Be in the present”.  

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       She travels in a school van with 8 typical children. She is different and so is deprived of the snacks that other girls happily share with each other in the van. I see girls with big pack of lays and Kurkures happily singing, eating and making merry. I know she hasn’t been given a single wafer till date and she doesn’t complain. Should I sponsor for all I ask! The girl proudly refuses …. Says: Amma, it remains the same, no matter what you do! She means:

Lesson 3: “Don’t live your life impressing others... In the end, people will judge you anyway”.

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     It's 11:00 pm and I get back home after a horrible day at work. Immediately, the lights get brighter, kitchen gets its aromas and there she is, my little girl - laying my dinner, when everyone else at home is asleep! Cuddles and hugs follow through with a long pending gossip session. Mom is her world!

Lesson 4: “The best feeling in the world is to be with someone who loves you as much as you love them. Nothing else matters. Surround yourself with positive people”.

_____________________________________________________

   
      Her little brother is her favorite.  I would say, she is his first mother. Such is the unconditional love and support she showers on him. Lucky are we to have such a beautiful soul in our lives. Her gifts, her snacks, all go to him, without an ounce of expectation. Just pure and so selfless I must say. She indicates:

Lesson 5:” Love is an unconditional commitment”                     

Now I wonder if there is a place for such rare, gentle, precious souls in this polluted, adulterated world. As I set out with my new Center for development, I only hope I will be able to take them to a dreamscape, where love blossoms, where there is abundant friendship, no hate or remorse. Only happiness! They so deserve it.

This reminds me of Kishore Da’s song: So simple…. Yet so profound!! 

“Aa chal ke tujhe main le ke chalu,

Ik aise gagan ke tale

Jahan ghum bhee Na ho aansu bhee Na ho

Bas pyar hi pyar pale"

Ultimately, every individual deserves a right to live with dignity, respect and pride. Isn’t it? That’s what we at Chiranthana have set out to do!!

Yours truly,

Rachana Prasad

Rachana Prasad is Founder Director, Chiranthana, an NGO dedicated to life artistry and holistic development of communities, particularly children, using art forms such as theater as a powerful medium. For more information about her work, do visit www.chiranthana.in

Tikli and Laxmi Bomb: Of overthrowing a system, and feminist sex workers

In our upwardly mobile urban society, we would want to believe, in this day and age, that hell truly hath no fury than a woman scorned, mocked and whose dignity is at stake, particularly in public.

She has the choice to make light of the situation - use her presence of mind and her sense of humor to shrug off the situation nonchalantly. She has the choice to get ruffled. She has the choice to keep a stern face. She has the choice to burst into tears. She has the right to blow the whistle. And most importantly, she has the right to be safe, be dignified and keep or blow up her earnings. Or better, blow up her husband's money too.

But, hey wait. What if she were to be, what we call, a hooker, a woman on the fringes of respectable genteel society?  What happens to her then? Will this "man's world" accord her the same privilege?

For all of this and many more reasons, "Tikli and Laxmi Bomb" is an important film - for the uniqueness of plot, the lack of facades, the realness in the way the lives of sex workers is depicted. And most importantly, for the sheer lack of martyrdom or moral high ground that is otherwise so important for formula cinema. This plot is not a quintessential preachy tale of "the road to becoming respectable" ; it is a calculated journey of overthrowing a deep-seated patriarchal arrangement that purports to protect sex workers, but which ends up relentlessly exploiting them. This is a story of two gutsy women who take on the tide, and how they systematically plan their way out of the "system", to create one of their own, and quite successfully at that. But, how easy or tough is the journey to this kind of freedom?

Aditya Kriplani, the maker of the film, surely knew he had a winner on hand. This movie, based on his own 2015 novel, rides on all new age disruptive thinking right from the story to the cast, to the way it has been funded and marketed - every single aspect challenges conventionally accepted models. Currently showing on Netflix, the movie is suddenly grabbing cine-goer eyeballs.

The plot gets a little lethargic in between, picks up pace again.  The ending could have been orchestrated way better - it was a bit cliched and rushed.
Nevertheless, Chitragandha Chakraborty (as Tikli) and Vibhavari Deshpande (as the older Lakshmi) live their roles well - this is a gritty dark film, reminiscent of the noir genre, but with a firm thread of humor running across the seediness. The women here are not teary eyed losers - they are wise girls who court the rough ride to real, raw danger every night of their professional lives, since there is a masochist male world out there that believes they are even less than objects. From there, at rock bottom, the path to safety and dignity seems impossible to the ordinary girl of the town - but, not to this select band of Mumbai women, who do not shy away from hatching their plots - beat the system by using the tricks of the very same system - find an alternative person whose palms can be greased, override a local authority and directly approach the higher authority with a carrot of more bribes et al. They even use GPS technology to track a sister in trouble. Smart, eh?

A must watch film - and thank god for recent cinema - we can escape the horrors of unreal tele-soaps, the ones our mothers are interminably hooked to, for what they claim, the want of viable options. I suspect, what our poor mothers lack are not options, but the nerve to confront and watch something this real, ripped off any sweet masquerade. So, while the world of tele flourishes, we feed on alternative media for newer, bolder stories waiting to be told. Tikli and Lakshmi Bomb is certainly one of those.

Talvar: Why Vishal Bharadwaj’s brand of cinema has begun to freak me out

Everybody was talking about the movie. The critics said dispassionate, disturbing, hard hitting, great drama. “Oh, the poor Talwars! They have been wronged and wrongfully ostracised all these years!” were among the remarks I was hearing among friends, colleagues. 

My landlady came out excitedly one morning the same week, stopped me by the gate, saying, Shruthi (her daughter) watched the movie and came back so disturbed; what a movie, great cinema. 




Twitter was abuzz too with #Talvar and #FreeTheTalwars going berserk with tweets. Wow. I have to watch this, I thought. The first chance, on a public holiday and I knew where I was headed the evening. The show went - what we used to term during the pre-multiplex days - houseful.  

Talvar was very impressive, no songs, no melodrama. Just documentary, reality drama style.
The movie definitely had the audience engaged. There was pin drop silence. The casting ensemble was impeccable – Irrfan (he spells it that way) Khan, Neeraj Kabi, Konkona Sensharma and a host of other seasoned support artists, including Prakash Belawadi in a memorable cameo. Names had been changed, but the world knew this was based on the infamous Aarushi Talwar case.  As it tries to reconstruct what might have happened that night in May 2008, when a 14 year old girl and the household help lost their lives, the movie takes us through a journey that can stay on the mind for a while. Director Meghana Gulzar had skilfully adapted Vishal Bharadwaj’s script to make a drama that had people coming out of the theatre wondering, wondering…Are the Talwars guilty? Maybe not, is what is gaining credence among people.

I began to wonder too. It was during my wonderment that my problem with Talvar began.

Why did Vishal Bharadwaj choose the Talwar case 5 years (the team started scripting in 2013) after the incident?

That the girl belonged to the more privileged class of society by virtue of her parents being dentists, that this case attracted the kind of attention it did and perhaps is still sale-able enough for a movie script – is a fact we can’t sideline. And the fact that there was so much media sensation that it still sells as a story like the Sheena Bora case does, is another consideration too. Real life stories, no fiction here. Great scope for real storytelling. Also, that the passage of time has allowed for more facts to emerge. All good points, in favor of the makers of the film, but, Bharadwaj & Co have not played this one straight.

Close on the heels of a book on the Aarushi case by journalist Avirook Sen, that came out this year, of all the years,  and despite claims of being an objective analysis in a "Roshomonisque" mode, the movie clearly, very evidently, just like Sen's well timed book, roots for the innocence of the parents, with one version of the CBI (called CDI in the movie) being given the maximum footage.  The other version, the parents being shown guilty, is played up as a “trumped, cooked up” version. Trust me yes, that is what has been done. 

Interestingly, there was a movie by name “Rahasya” that was made last year and that was supposedly based on the same case. The Talwars filed an objection with the Censor Board, since the timing of the movie had an unfortunate co-incidence with a hearing on their appeal to the Allahabad court. Apparently “Rahasya” had depicted the parents as guilty of the heinous crime. The family "did not want public opinion to be vitiated intensely against them", or so the objection noted.

Switch to 2015, here comes Talvar. Junior Gulzar states, rather justifies, in an interview, “that she did not feel the need to take the consent of the Talwars”, and why not? With a movie script that backs them, why would the Talwars have any bone to pick here? This movie is like that authorized biography of controversial celebrities, where difficult questions are sugar coated with sweet answers. No one is bound to have a problem anywhere. All are happy. 

If the Talwars were really such a conscientious lot, they should have evenly objected to this movie as well (the stand in the movie being immaterial), on the sheer grounds that their lives, their family was being turned into another nationwide tamasha, all in the name of cinema. Point here? Makes one wonder who is really backing this venture, in the real sense of the word, even if it is the Times Group on paper. I am not insinuating here, just calling for some thought. 

Like all tales of mystery, the truth, in this case too, will perhaps, remain unresolved. But, the larger disturbing fact is that of the Vishal Bharadwaj-Meghana Gulzar combine actually using their astute cinematic aesthetics for a venture such as this. The movie does not make the customary claims of a fictionalized account. Meaning, implying that whatever is being shown to us is nearly the authentic, indepth, investigated truth. Really??!!

And unlike "Rahasya", which critics dismissed as a fictionalized mediocrity,and which sank without too much public attention, “Talvar” has managed to do what no media, no court, no police, no CBI has done so far, and perhaps what even the best efforts of the Talwars have been able to accomplish all these years. The next time, any major move happens in the Talwar case, one should not be surprised to see people holding candlelight vigils for the Talwar couple.

The family and their champions are clearly capitalizing on the movie and Sen's book on all the platforms – social media, the works. And the Times Group, the financiers for this film, are sponsoring a campaign to "Fast track the Talwar case". And also, the Times Group is rekindling interest towards the case, with the former CBI officer, Arun Kumar who had done the initial probe, speaking freely about why he believes the parents are innocent and why Talvar is such a masterpiece. Really, why so much interest? Is it all truly altrustic? Can one book and a movie in the same year be dismissed as a co-incidence? Hmmmmm....

That is when I say, Vishal Bharadwaj’s brand of cinema freaks me out, or rather, it has begun to freak me out - for the kind of perceptions it builds, for the way it turns the mind of the cine-going people. I do not want to talk at length about "Haider" here, or the movie's open tirade against the armed forces, God help me, since that is a separate story in itself - when I made an innocuous remark praising the movie on Facebook and I got to hear the rants of some friends! I still have to thank the people who made me think. This post is a result of some reflection after that as well, when you start connecting the dots. Haider was still a "fictionalized Shakespearean adaptation", set in Kashmir; we can seek refuge in that theory. But Talvar? It is real, and it is officially played up as a real life account.  I can now well relate to and empathize with the irritation of the people who commented on my earlier Facebook status message on "Haider". There is no way to justify Vishal Bharadwaj's brainwashing projects anymore, as a film maker's right to interpret. 

The point is, it is no secret that cinema can influence audiences, no matter where they are. And if it comes from such an authentic stable as this, then the multiplex audience is definitely hooked and booked. 

One movie has definitely tilted the balance of opinion, if not justice, in the minds of the people, towards the dentist couple. If they well merit it, so be it, if they don’t, then Mr Bharadwaj, I have been a fan of your music, your movies too, but in this case, and for some time now, as I have been observing your brand of cinema, I am disappointed. What will be your next mission? Establishing Indrani Bora as the innocent, wrongfully vilified victim?? 

Red Theatre's Revolution 2020: Flawed, but Fruitful

Recently, Bangalore's Red Theatre Group, in a maiden effort, bravely staged Revolution 2020 at the heart of Bangalore's theater, Rangashankara.

Based on Chetan Bhagat's 2011 novel of the same name, R2020 is replete with Bhagat's usual dose of three protagonists, love, greed, ambition, against a small town backdrop and the all too predictable ending.


As a story, Revolution 2020 has nothing new to offer; it is typically like a masala movie with shades of Bhagat's earlier "Three Mistakes of My Life", and very blatant inspiration from Sudhir Mishra's brilliant 2003 classic "Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi". What is interesting is that fact that Red Theatre tries to capture the milieu and the story in a dramatized version, and hasn't done too bad a thing out of it.

Set in Varanasi, this is the story of three childhood friends, who fall in the Gen X-Y zone. Gopal (Saurav Lokesh), Raghav (Pradeep Ache) and Aarti (Gowthami) set out to conquer their dreams, hopes and failures in a small town that represents the core of the good Vs evil debate. Life throws these conflicts in their direction in no small measure, in a matter of few years.

 Gopal's character is all about his earnest love for childhood friend Aarti, only to be rejected in the name of 'best friends forever', his disappointment and jealousy over her romantic inclination towards topper Raghav, his own academic debacles (mainly due to his romantic distraction), an attempt to salvage his drowning future at Kota, and then his ultimate turn towards easy lucre, to the cliched disastrous consequence routine -- all rolled into one package, Saurav Lokesh delivers a neat performance with not too much gaffes to note, a little more polish and we have an actor who will be the focal point of the play.

Raghav's character of the brilliant student turned idealistic crusader journalist, who wants to expose the murky land deals in the town --actor Pradeep Ache's expressions are excellent, though his dialogue delivery was extremely stilted and grammatically incorrect in the second half.

Gowthami as Aarti had a tough role to crack --affluent, pretty, laidback, charming, spoilt and silly at times, straddling the love of two friends, one who she claims is 'just a friend, with whom she shares something beautiful' and one whose love she accepts only to drift later into the arms of the very man  who ardor she scoffed at, and her volte-face, tiresome move back to her first love. The paradoxes (read as dillying and dallying) of Aarti are interesting and amusing to watch.  Gowthami is competent, albeit with a few practiced, repetitive gestures. In the second half, there seems to be a certain rush to deliver her lines, as a result she looks a little unconvincing. Else, a good effort in carrying the sole female role on her shoulders.



Nagaraj Krishnamurthy who essays Gopal's aged, ailing father and later MLA Shukla, is no doubt the surprise package here, especially in the second role. He slips into MLA Shukla with ease and builds the momentum for what lies ahead when he lures young, vulnerable Gopal into his world of corruption and shady deals. Krishnamurthy can do a little better in the role of the father who dies heartbroken over his son's academic non-starters, a little depth with a more convincing aged look can be infused --despite a tailor-made portliness, Krishnamurthy still came across as a little too young to play the role; a good artiste, one is confident he would surmount this challenge in forthcoming shows .

Well co-ordinated stage settings, lighting, a whole host of actors playing "butterflies" or the surrogate narrators of the story, and a small cameo of the punk student Vineet- who lends Gopal the quintessential 'shoulder and a bottle to drown the sorrows'- made the play took well thought out, and added to the energy, though one felt the length of their acts could have been reduced here and there. Music by Thejas and Rajguru was adequate in the first half and perhaps excelled in the second half, in the scenes that involve Gopal and MLA Shukla - there is a tension and menace that comes through well.

Director Prithvi Aradhya shows mettle and experience in his craft in the manner in which the play has been conceptualized and executed. What the play lacks at the moment is finesse, and the right length. The duration of the play can be a killer. One concedes packing an entire book into 21/2 hours must have been a Herculean task, but sitting through the length for a non-70mm version can be daunting and this was something the actors themselves must have been conscious of and perhaps, that explains the rush towards the last 15-20 minutes which looked orchestrated. And, this, after a decent spaced out build up.

A little more exploration into the title, the motives and motivations of Raghav and Aarti would help add meat to the proceedings. Why did Aarti accept Raghav into her life in the first place? Was it purely driven by love or other considerations? Why did Raghav, the topper give it all up for idealism? Why was Gopal such a loser -in life and love? Questions that need a better answer.

In all, one can safely enter the auditorium without reading the book and can derive the entire experience of Bhagat's bestseller. One doesn't end up disappointed. Given that this is a first production, that is a big plus for Red Theatre.

Ode to a Legend....."No one Leaves this World in Quite Your Manner...."

I penned this note on FB over two years ago, but every time I read it, a wave of sadness engulfs me...some people do that to us....sigh


Ode to a Legend....."No one Leaves this World in Quite Your Manner...."

Guru Dutt..lives on through Kaizi Azmi s tribute

One of kaifi azmi's poems that moved me deeply in my impressionable years. I thought about the words very often and the words move me even to this day… Azmi had composed this in the wake of legend Guru Dutt’s death (alleged suicide) in October 1964.



"Rahne ko sadaa dahar mein aata nahi koi
Tum jaise gaye aise bhi jaata nahi koi


Ik baar to khud maut bhi ghabra gayi hogi
Yun maut ko seene se lagata nahi koi


Darta hoon kahin khushq na ho jaaye samundar
Raakh apni kabhi aap bahata nahi koi


Saaqi se gila tha tumhe, maikhaane se shikvaa
Ab zahar se bhi pyaas bujhata nahi koi


Maana ki ujaalon ne tumhe daag diye the
Beraat dhale shamma bujhata nahi koi"

And I found a great translation that comes very very close to what the poet wanted to convey….


No one comes to this world to live forever
But no one leaves the world in quite your manner

For once, death, too, must have been disconcerted
For no one has embraced death in quite your manner

I fear lest the ocean may be blotted up
For no one sprinkles their ashes in quite your manner

You bore a grudge against the tavern-keeper
For no one slakes their thirst with poison, in quite your manner

I accept that you were slighted by the light
But no one extinguishes the lamp in quite your manner

No one comes to this world to live forever
But no one leaves the world in quite your manner

Leaves me with a shiver as I ponder over what brings one to the brink....sadness, disappointment, despair??? And what actually drove Guru Dutt to his tragic, untimely end? We shall never know because the people who could possibly fathom or shed light are themselves no more...