Amodini's Book Reviews

Book Reviews and Recommendations

Bollywood and the BBC

Written By: amodini - Aug• 12•05
The BBC Shropshire Bollywood site has movie reviews which I sometimes read. Read with caution, because these reviews sometimes have spoilers. I read a recent one on Viruddh, which had this gem :

“As the story unfolds, we learn how the couple blend with each other when carrying out their daily routines,…”

Now, I know what the reviewer means by “blend” because I have seen the film, else “blend” could be, …er…. misconstrued.

Preity Zinta writes a column for the BBC. These columns are very Preiti-centric, and although interesting, she shows no qualities for being chosen to write this, other than her being a big Bollywood star. Don’t get me wrong, I think Preiti is good in Hindi films, cute, and acts decently enough. But a writer, she is not.

Fortune ? In fortune cookie !

Written By: amodini - Aug• 11•05
After feasting on chicken fried rice and basil chicken, I proceed to the fortune cookie. The white slip of paper, encased in the cookie, reveals that I will write a book. No kidding – it says “You will write a book”. Fame and filthy lucre, here I come ! Do so many of us want to write books, that the fortune cookie guys now broadcast is as a “fortune” ? What better life eh, than to spin dreams, convert them into pragmatic words, and make money ? I mean, I can swallow (pun intended) a fortune cookie, which says “A good friendship is in the offing”, or “Financial circumstances get better”, or “There is a cloud of doom over your head”, but “You will write a book” ?

Chinese food here is the US, isn’t the same; its a tame, dumbed down version of the fiery stuff served in India. Even the Chinese food served in Indian restaurants here is adulterated with the same blandness. Ah, recall with fondness, Haldiram’s chilli garlic noodles. And best of all was the stuff, served from those mobile noodle vans; haven’t had that in a while.

Ironically, cannot find “American Chopsuey” in a restaurant in America.

Hindi films and phony accents

Written By: amodini - Aug• 11•05
I am such an avid movie-watcher that it surprises me sometimes that others aren’t. Especially desi folk who don’t watch desi movies. Conversations with such desis usually runs like this :

Me : Have you seen the film “Company” ?

He/She : English or Hindi ?

Me (flummoxed) : There is a Company in English ? I meant the Hindi one.

He/She : No, I don’t really watch Hindi movies.

Me : None at all ? Company’s really good you know.

He/She : No, no… same old story, you see in every film. I watch only English movies nowdays.

At this point I give up. I mean I could argue that there are crappy English films too, but what’s the point. I am similarly prone to not talking when I meet Desis with phony American accents. Its much more fun just listening and hearing it slip … And once, a cousin in India asked me about the absence of my American accent. I explained that there was no way I was getting an accent after a few years (actually after any amount of years) in the States. There are some words which I do pronounce differently now, like schedule, pizza, data etc. but on the whole my pronounciation is pretty much unchanged. Her reply to that was “Well then, how come XYZ, my cousin in California has the accent after a few years ?”. I am not sure how that could happen, unless of course XYZ had actually learned to speak it there. Apparently not. XYZ spoke good English prior to leaving for the States.

Now kids, they pick up accents fast. I have some friends, who’ve come to the States as children, via Africa and Britain, and have grown up here, and their accents are a unique mix of all these other accents.

Categories : _culture_and_society

Of books

Written By: amodini - Aug• 10•05
My favorite hang-out place besides my home, and the back-yard is the local library. I don’t have to speak or listen, I can just read. Walls of books and magazines surround me, and I can check out as many as I want. The service is great and the librarian actually wants to help. Best of all : it’s free.

An unending supply of books, is something I missesd sorely in India. Libraries are almost non-existent in India; there were some private local libraries but the collections were pitifully small, and the books old. Needless to say, as a student, I could not afford to buy books. Then I needed 5-6 paperbacks per week; pretty expensive stuff. Now, as I make up for lost time (so many books, so little time) I read, but ironically now that I have the resources, I don’t have as much time. What I have, I have scrounged from the dregs of a full schedule. And it’s mostly night-time reading, the more I read, the less I sleep.

There is no special requirement you have to fulfill, to borrow books from a local library in the US. You just have to live in the local area, and (presumably) pay taxes. And they are utilized well; the local libraries I go to are almost always well-packed with kids and adults. These libraries are not hallowed portals of silence by any means, they exude a feeling of usability beside the subdued noise from the kid’s section. What a great service this would be, if available in India !

Dilip D’Souza writes about libraries in this very interesting article, and Vikram Sequiera write about his experiences at the Indian Bookshop in his blog post. As for the libraries I agree with D’Souza – indeed they contribute to society, at the very least they contribute to your private amusement or entertainment. The Indian Book-shop I am not so sure about, a good resource yes, but affordable? That I am not so sure about. The last time in Delhi, I wandered around browsing. Looking at the prices, I wondered if the middle-class could actually afford these. And kids ? Maybe the ones with generous amounts of pocket-money. An average paperback (like say Enid Blyton or a P.G.Wodehouse) was from Rs.100 to Rs.500 , a little cheaper than what it would have cost in the US in dollars ($5-10). Compare that with relative pay-scales in both the countries, and books are still expensive in India.

Since my philosophy on books is “read ’em and leave ’em”, the library concept fits in very well with my life. When I buy, it must be a book I totally loved and would probably want to re-read. However, sparse buying habits do not prevent me from browsing. I have looked for books at the roadside book-sellers in Connaught place, and the sprawling book markets of Old Delhi. Truth be told, I have still bought very little. But, oh the pleasure of browsing for books !

Bookwise

Written By: amodini - Aug• 03•05
Citizen GirlMost recently, read “Citizen Girl”. Its by Emma Mc Laughlin and Nicola Kraus, the authors of “Nanny diaries”. The heroine of “Citizen Girl” is also called “Girl”, fresh in the job market, and looking for jobs in the Journalism/Feminism/Social Work Sector. The book details her travails when she gets a job at “My Company” (her boss is called “Guy”). Work at “My Company” is at the very least an unknown, a very quirky unknown. Interesting book, although “Nanny Diaries” was better.

The Nanny DiariesThe “Nanny diaries” is about a nanny (well, duh !), who is called Nanny throughout the book, her employer Mrs.X and her son Grayer. Mrs. X is the original size 2 ice maiden, and thaws only at the extremities, and only for her son and her philandering husband. Nanny wishes to quit faced with such an cold employer (pun intended), but stays on because of the 4 year old Grayer. Initially hostile, Grayer is a genuinely sweet kid. Nanny is a 21 year old at NYU, sharing a tiny apartment with a room-mate and the room-mate’s hairy boyfriend (who often sleeps over).

The book is funny to the point where I’m laughing out loud at places. But it is also emotional and moving; certainly got my heartstrings twanging. A good read, although it does end rather mildly.

Memoirs of a GeishaAlso read “Memoirs of a Geisha” (Arthur Golden) sometime back. The story of Sayuri, a Japanes geisha, this was one interesting book. Told simply, but in sufficient detail, its about Sayuri’s being sold into an okiya (a geisha house), and her life thereafter. I’d recommend this book because it manages to get under your skin, you see how Sayuri and other characters feel and think. This book is being made into a film by Sony Pictures, currently in production, set to release Dec. 9th 2005 . Michelle Yeoh plays the role of Mameha, the geisha who takes Sayuri under her wing, and some information on the film is at one of her sites.

Chick lit and desi food go together, no ? How do I know this ? From my extensive research – read three chick-lit novels in a row : “Can You keep a secret ?”, “Lucy Sullivan’s getting married”, “Nanny diaries”. Two out of the three have the females eating/liking Indian food; might have something to do with the fact that their lives are based in the UK, of course.

Vacationing in India – Part II

Written By: amodini - Aug• 03•05
Summers, as I said before are hot in Delhi. Still the early mornings are passably cool, and the stone floor of my parents’ apartment remains moderately cool, when the morning tea-drinking time arrives. Something’s never change. The sabziwala is there everyday around noon, hawking his fares in the sing-song, repetitive voice I’ve come to associate only with roadside vendors. And then there’s the tea-drinking ritual which lives on. We drink tea in the morning, before breakfast “to wake up”, after breakfast “to relax”, after lunch “to finish up lunch”, and then at “teatime” which is around 4 pm. There is tea also right before dinner, and that pretty much wraps up the caffeine intake for the day. We drink tea, intermittently during hot days, and during the cold days. So much tea, so little time !

Among other things, its funny how quickly you get used to the phenomenon of being stared at. After these years in the US, where you get used to anonymity in big groups, in India its like I have 2 horns on my head. In markets, people are standing around, chatting, staring, looking; that’s what they are active onlookers. In malls, guys and girls throng the atria and the halls, supposedly doing nothing. They aren’t buying anything, but the look of prosperity lingers. It is probably “in” to prosper and modernise as Mom puts it, as she proudly recants names of new shopping complexes and recreational annexes, and the fact that now even the bai has a color TV + VCR, and the bai’s daughter will only wear jeans. I’m not sure that wearing jeans is a sign of modernity, but apparently everyone else does; at a family function, I’m one of the very few younger folk turned out in a salwar-kameez. I get distinct “how uncool” vibes from the aunties, even !

At the aforesaid family function, I am air-kissed (no real kissing, dahling; these are just poofs of air smacked into the atmosphere) and hugged by long-lost relatives, and lots of folks are mock-annoyed with moi for not winging it to their homes right after my plane landed in Delhi. Am no kisser, but kiss back with enthusiasm. Am no actor, but gaily reassure everyone that I will be at their doors teps pronto. Get tired in the process and head inwards for sustenance. Anyway, as we all settle into the air-conditioned comfort of the room, talk hinges on food and fashion. Am roped into young-wife-talk, which is primarily about clothes and jewellery. Although a big jewellery junkie myself, this casual information exchange on purchasing gold and diamonds in large quantities scalds my ears. What is it with us Punjabis ? Its like we see people and go “Ready ? Get set. One. Two. And flaunt your wealth !”

All this forced listening at family gatherings, makes me long for concealed ear-plugs, a good book, and some nimbu-paani, in that order.

Time, for me, is a variable thing, since I am on vacation. For my parents it moves a bit faster, and for my siblings, who are all working now, its life at top-speed. Long hours are expected and given at work (8-12 hr. days) and my cousin works 6 days a week. Yes, everyone has servants, something that would cost me a big chunk of my salary in the States. Servants cook, clean, chauffeur, garden, baby-sit, queue up in lines to pay electricity bills and much more.

Young couples have it better than before though. Lots of young people are buying houses earlier and setting up their own homes. Leads to way more freedom in lifestyle than before. However, since you are attached to society through mothers, aunts and mothers-in-law, favorite questions in family trivia include marriage and children. If a girl of marriageable age and not married, you are hounded by questions of impending marriage. If a girl and married you are hounded by questions of impending children. Extremely tiresome, but has led to the development of the art of polite snubbing. Polite snubbing, I am told, is an underground art, developed by and for the use of the 20 somethings against nosey relatives, and must be practiced in stealth and absence of immediate family, failing which retribution can be swift and painful.

Ranting and raving…in public

Written By: amodini - Aug• 02•05
Speaking of MTV Desi, and other Desi television, another thing pops into my mind. Has anyone else seen those annoying advertisements on Z or Sony etc. ? Is anyone outraged by the New York Life Insurance Advertisements on Z TV (or is it Sony) ? If you have seen them you know what I mean. The advertisement which is for life insurance presents this (apparently) desi scenario, a happy desi family, ie; protected by life insurance. What is not happy about these ads is that these are oh-so-patriarchial, typical depiction of desi women – dumb and helpless. The main actress in these ads is Rupali Ganguli, who is sometimes cast as the coy “bahu”, sometimes as the submissive bride, and sometimes as the helpless widow, i.e.; greatly in need of protection. What really gets my goat here, is that she is depicted as oh-so-dumb ; I mean you could call her mildly retarded – she runs around playing with younger siblings, acting up, or jumping around (and I mean jumping around like a hyper 4 year old), eyes glazed with dreams of prospective husbands (??). Excuse me while I throw up.

OK, on to type 2 – the mom-feeding-spoilt-GROWN-UP-son-with-own-hands category. So here we have a (presumably) adult man abroad, pining for mom’s cooking and also (sob) mom’s love and tender loving care. Oh, how do I know ? Because the guy is shown day-dreaming about what else – Mom feeding him – and I mean actually putting little pieces of food into the baboon’s mouth. As we say in darling Hindi – “Maa ki mamta” and all that. Oh, get the tissues, girls ! Ah, the solution , ready made, pre-packaged food (I forget what the ad is for now – parathas or sabzi). Much to my surprise, the baboon does indeed have 2 hands – none missing, so there goes my alternative explanation for the feeding-and-being-fed-frenzy. So, he pops the food into the microwave, and there, baby, no more missing those evenings when mom fed you.

Hmm, how come Mom isn’t feeding any of her daughters ? She doesn’t have any ? Oh, come on – joke right ? Yeah, unless of course you happen to live in the Northern Indian States.

On to the 3rd category, the guy-using-limbs-to-do-useful-work category. And here, we have mom seated at table, eating rotis made by (gasp) her son, (gasp) a man !! And we do have great visuals of son rolling out round (?) rotis, accompanied by an age-appropriate song – the words “Munna” (baby) appear in the refrain – pretty similar to a desi lullaby. Now, this is an ad for “atta” (flour) in the United States, i.e.; the availability of “desi” atta and hence delicious rotis right here in Uncle Sam’s land. Besides the fact that this is the only desi ad. I’ve seen where normal men are actually shown in the kitchen doing useful work, we now have proof that men can indeed roll rotis. The shape of the rotis is still questionable.

Now, review these ads. Hidden message in here, isn’t there ?

‘Recent’ English films

Written By: amodini - Aug• 02•05

Million Dollar Baby (Full Screen Edition)“Million dollar baby” was good. Since you already knew that, here are some other recent (which means that I saw them recently) English films that turned out to be interesting :

– Assault on Precint 13
– Man on fire
– In good company
– National treasure
– Terminal
– Hotel Rwanda
– I, Robot
– Under the Tuscan Sun
– The Interpreter

Couldn’t stand “Harold & Kumar” – stopped the film after about 30 minutes. Also didn’t really like “Hitch” although it came recommended from many friends. Found the latter half of the film oh-so-cliched and Will Smith getting hammier by the minute. “Sideways” was just about OK. “Aviator” was very biographical (well, duh !) so if you like life-histories of great men, this one’s for you. “King’s Ransom” contains some funny situations, but reeks of overdone characters, and some improbable scenarios – not recommended. Yet to see “Upside of Anger” ; it’s got good reviews.

Bulla Ki Jaana

Written By: amodini - Jul• 29•05

For those of you wondering why “Bulla, ki jaana” was the first song on MTV Desi, or who/what this song is about (like me) , here are some pointers :

  • Its a great song
  • Its pretty unconventional, I mean how many Sardars do you know who go about strumming a guitar, mouthing Sufi poetry ?
  • According to MTV, “Bulla Ki Jaana relects the core values of MTV Desi’s audience and captures the panaromic sweep, breathtaking variety and secular beauty of South-Asian and Indian life.” I see … I see it all now.
  • More enlightenment and lyrics, at the MTV site.

MTV Desi

Written By: amodini - Jul• 29•05
Channel-surfing a few days back, was maha-surprised to see a “MTVD” channel, playing guess what – “MTV Desi”. Rubbing my sleep-starved eyes (from excessive TV watching you see), I re-focuss, and indeed it does say Desi. Ahh – BLISS ! Finally, after all those days of starvation and one-legged hand-stands – music nirvana ! Apparently included free-of-charge with your DIRECTV HindiDirect package (i.e.; Star Plus, Star One, Star News which is $29.99 in the US).

The DIRECTV Guide doesn’t say much, only MTV Desi, i.e.; presently you can’t really see a schedule of the shows, but has programs like MTV Bakra, Heavy Mental, Top 10 Desi Countdown, Bollywood on Ice and the omni-present Video Khichdi. On the most recent instalment of “Bakra”, they very neatly made a “bakra” of Mandira Bedi – I mean she really got hassled, and then they (Cyrus, Vivek Oberoi and other actors) tried making a bakra of Amrita Rao and her Mom, and she didn’t fall for it at all. Entertainment, that. Note that recent instalment does not mean that it’s actually recent – apparently this is stuff which aired on MTV India in 2003. So, the programming is a mix of (old ?) stuff from “MTV India” (like “Bakra”) and stuff they concoct here. There are also little MTV News snippets, a la MTV India. And they have no commercial advertisements; just the usual bizarre/surreal MTV ads – you know with little globs of something turning into little globs of something else. Such a precise description, but then you know me.

Frankly, am delighted with MTV Desi ; its like finding an oasis in the desert, because the Star Trio are absolutely bereft of good Desi Music/Bollywood info. There is one show called “Masand ki Pasand”, but that is not much. Compare that with the “AVS” show on Sony TV, and it pales into rhythmless insignificance. Masand is no match for those wired AVS women !

As for artists they (MTV Desi) play, there’s Rabbi (Bulla ki jaana – apparently the first track played when MTV Desi debuted), Raghav, MIA, Karmacy, Colonial Cousins, Bally Sagoo, Sanober, Harry Anand, JoSH etc. My only complaint is that the songs played seem kind of old, circa 2003-2004. OK, MIA is new, but what’s with the “Bombay Vikings” oldies, like “Chod do aanchal” ? I mean its a good song and everything, but where are the newer hits ? We do seem to have a lot of songs- no dearth the last time I listened – so why don’t they play them ?

The anchor scene – there’s Brit. Tim Kash (hosts the Countdown) and American Niharika Desai (hosts “Live from…”). There’s the very Indian Cyrus Broacha who hosts “Bakra” and “Heavy Mental”, and there are a bunch of others (like Suchin Pak and Sway Calloway – see more at mtv.com) doing the MTV news.