There are times one needs to walk out from their glass cabins and look at the world outside. Well that is the ideal situation not that it ever happens, especially when you are running one of the exclusive private schools in Kolkata.
..and you better start swimming
Or you will sink like a stone
For the times they are a changin’
-Bob Dylan-
Recently while talking to my aunt, she complained about my cousin not paying attention to his studies. ‘He is just studying ten hours a day, can you believe it. His friends will all get 90 percent and he will be left jobless.’
The Tongues on Fire South Asian Film festival began with a bang this year in London. The festival which started way back in 1999 is now an institution in itself as it brings together some of the finest films and film makers to the south asian diasporas.
Its been almost eight months since the Delhi government repealed Article 377. It brought forth a celebration in the queer community as a victorian law was finally cast aside and social modernity ushered in. However for the Queer community this happiness was shortlived.
Whenever we think of religious fundamentalism, the first thing that comes to mind is the radical Islamic outfits, however fundamentalism goes far beyond that. Bal Thakeray and his army of Shiv Senas have time and again exposed the ugly head of fundamentalism.
Structuralism has been replaced by post structuralism. Salman Khan has been replaced by Shahid Kapoor (That is very debatable though). Sholay being remade as Ramgopal Varma ki Sholay. The 80’s pop scene in India which comprised of mehnaz, Anadia and Shweta Shetty has now moved and made way for Bhangra, Sonu Kakkar and the likes. It is no different then, that Doordarshan’s classic ‘Mile sur Mera Tumhara’ has been replaced by a newer version.
Avatar was one of the most hyped movies of last year which everyone was looking forward to. Made by James Cameron with some superb CGI effects, it definitely had a lot to live up to. Unlike its name ‘Avatar’ which comes from the Sanskrit word avatara meaning descent from heaven or simply reincarnation, the script was not a reincarnation of anything previously done- or was it?
As Alan Sinfield once said power and love is interconnected. In every relationship there seems to be this power play and more often than not its got to do with age. If the recent news of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise breaking up is something to go by then age difference in relationship is definitely turning out to be bar.
AIDS. The very mention of the four letter word sends a shudder down our body. HIV which devastated a large part of the human population in the 1980’s with almost 200000 reported cases worldwide in 1986 alone is something we are still fighting to come to terms with.
What has aggravated the situation is the tabooness attached to it.
This date shall forever remain as a bloodied memory in the historical annals of India as a testimony of our vulnerability. For a moment it seemed like the impenetrable safety net of our country had been pierced. The city of dreams- Mumbai was burning.
There are times one needs to walk out from their glass cabins and look at the world outside. Well that is the ideal situation not that it ever happens, especially when you are running one of the exclusive private schools in Kolkata.
..and you better start swimming
The Tongues on Fire South Asian Film festival began with a bang this year in London. The festival which started way back in 1999 is now an institution in itself as it brings together some of the finest films and film makers to the south asian diasporas.
Its been almost eight months since the Delhi government repealed Article 377. It brought forth a celebration in the queer community as a victorian law was finally cast aside and social modernity ushered in. However for the Queer community this happiness was shortlived.
Whenever we think of religious fundamentalism, the first thing that comes to mind is the radical Islamic outfits, however fundamentalism goes far beyond that. Bal Thakeray and his army of Shiv Senas have time and again exposed the ugly head of fundamentalism.
Structuralism has been replaced by post structuralism. Salman Khan has been replaced by Shahid Kapoor (That is very debatable though). Sholay being remade as Ramgopal Varma ki Sholay. The 80’s pop scene in India which comprised of mehnaz, Anadia and Shweta Shetty has now moved and made way for Bhangra, Sonu Kakkar and the likes. It is no different then, that Doordarshan’s classic ‘Mile sur Mera Tumhara’ has been replaced by a newer version.
Avatar was one of the most hyped movies of last year which everyone was looking forward to. Made by James Cameron with some superb CGI effects, it definitely had a lot to live up to. Unlike its name ‘Avatar’ which comes from the Sanskrit word avatara meaning descent from heaven or simply reincarnation, the script was not a reincarnation of anything previously done- or was it?
As 
AIDS. The very mention of the four letter word sends a shudder down our body. HIV which devastated a large part of the human population in the 1980’s with almost 200000 reported cases worldwide in 1986 alone is something we are still fighting to come to terms with.
This date shall forever remain as a bloodied memory in the historical annals of India as a testimony of our vulnerability. For a moment it seemed like the impenetrable safety net of our country had been pierced. The city of dreams- Mumbai was burning.
