Apu’s World

I went in to watch Slumdog Millionaire fully expecting to see a movie “about life in the slums”. What I didn’t expect was that though the slums and the poverty were very much there, the movie wasn’t really about them. Rather, it was a good story about a boy from the slums who makes it big and really, most people watch movies because they are good stories, not so much because they teach us anything or tell us about specific places. 

Which is why, I’m quite surprised about those in India who would slam Danny Boyle and the movie for showing a side of India which they’d rather keep hidden. For one thing, the movie isn’t half-way realistic. How many slum kids do you know who get to be on Kaun Banega Crorepati? The story of Arvind, the boy who is blinded and forced to beg in a subway is probably more “real” than that of Jamal, who not only manages to get on to the show but also wins a 2 crore thanks to a lot of luck, some coincidences and a bit of thinking. So, no, Slumdog Millionaire isn’t about India’s reality, even if one were to assume that there is any One Reality to portray.

After watching the movie, I am still unable to decide which of these is really annoying people. 

A. All Western film-makers want to see in India is its poverty, so that the entire first world can laugh at us = chip on shoulder about how the white man sees us, constant pathetic need to prove that we are on par with “them”
B. This reality isn’t the only one; what about executive India, what about the fancy cars, the multi-storeyed buildings, the middle class schools, the MBAs = Reality is only what life is for us. I wonder if the millions in India who live in slums or even on the roadside should object to Karan Johar movies because it doesn’t showcase “their” reality? 
C. The film is only getting noticed because it is being made by a Western film-maker = Well, Indian film-makers, for the most part are not interested in these subjects, but still, shouldn’t they generally give us an Oscar anyway? Also, huge failure to understand that the Oscars aren’t really about world cinema, inspite of the foreign film category. 
D. All of the above?

The truth is that Slumdog Millionaire is neither a terribly insightful look into India’s poverty nor is it a white-man-slum-touristy look at India. Poverty is the backdrop for Jamal’s story, but that is not all there is to it. Infact, to me, one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the story was when little Jamal gets taken up in the orphanage van by Maman who is clearly A Very Bad Man, but to Jamal and his friends riding in the van, it is as though they have been promised a slice of life in paradise. The naked optimism in their eyes is killing, because you know so well that they are going to be let down cruelly.

Slumdog Millionaire works because of moments like this where we get caught up in one individual’s story and root for him to succeed, and it works inspite of a downright unreal last 15 minutes which are a disgrace to the rest of the movie. Slumdog Millionaire works inspite of its occasional deviations from reality simply because it is one of the oldest stories in the world told well; the underdog story that most of us can never resist.

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Many women’s organisations as well as other organisations working in the human rights and social justice area have come together to draft An Open Letter to the State Government from the Women of Karnataka. The anger, the call to action, the challenge to the government, the display of women’s power - everything about the letter is fantastic, but in particular, I loved these lines:

“If women are visible and active in so many fields of public arena including political spaces, it is not due to concern or action by the self-serving political parties that are ruling either at the center or in states, but due to hard struggles waged at every front including home, work, community, religion and politics by countless women over the past many decades. We have had to fight every inch of the way and will not be cowed down by cheap goonda tactics. We will begin to teach all those misled mindsets with perverted ideas of good women and bad women what women are and what they can do to transform the world – starting from our own families once again, if need be!”

It is too much to hope of course that politicians will feel any shame on realising that their politicking for petty ends is visible to the public. But, perhaps, they will feel scared to lose this votebank , this aware audience and take some action against anti-social elements atleast to retain their seats?

apu Women & Feminism

Two pieces of news that caught my attention.

Item 1. India’s maternal mortality rate is still a 450 deaths for every 1,00,000 live births, which means that atleast 4 out of every 1000 women who deliver a child, will die. The causes are many : early marriages and early child-bearing, malnutritioned bodies too weak to carry a child, poor knowledge of and access to contraception, social norms that encourage bearing of many children early and of course one of the biggest ones - little access to doctors or trained nurses, and corruption even when such facilities are available. The Health Minister is no doubt too busy clamping down on banning cigarette smoking in public places. Not that I think second hand smoke is a good idea, but Ramadoss’ single-minded pursuit of smoking in (mostly) urban areas, in a country with much more serious issues such as a high MMR, diseases such as TB, cholera etc does make you wonder. 

Item 2. Mrinal Pande writes about how women in Western UP are increasingly taking to owning firearms, both for their safety and as a status symbol. While no doubt, many women in that part of the country would feel safer with a gun around them, one has to question this lawless culture which encourages women to take up arms. 

apu Women & Feminism

Although not a very outwardly religious person, I am a Hindu and proud to be one. I believe that while Hinduism has had its evils, the best versions of Hinduism promote harmony, righteousness, truthfulness and love of all creation. I love Hinduism for its acceptance of every individual’s right to worship in a manner they choose. The concept of ‘ishta devta’ is unique to us - in a sense, it recognises that Gods are man-made creations, and so long as we are creating them, why not worship a God of your choice, one that you feel close to? I love Hinduism for the way it recognises that the earth does not belong to human beings alone - we revere snakes, we revere trees, our mothers always fed the crows before serving food to anyone, we worship Bhoomi Devi - the earth herself. I love Hinduism for the way it has accomodated dissent - atheism and agnosticism were recognised schools of philosophy in ancient India, there have always been multiple variations on the Ramayana and Mahabharata, some very transgressive. 

I don’t think Hinduism is in any danger so long as enough people appreciate its basic tenets, and considering the Indian population, that’s a lot of people. Even if for the majority, religion is all about ritual, still there are enough young people interested in the great myths and stories of ancient India, and their teachings and wisdom.

Yet, a certain set of hooligans feels emboldened enough to assault and harass women, on the pretext of preserving Hindu culture. The recent assault on women in Mangalore, for the “crime” of drinking in a pub, is not shocking for the violence itself - as Smokescreen says, violence against women itself has become commonplace. What shocked me was the blatant justification of the act in the name of ‘guiding’ and ‘protecting’ women against Western culture. Many bloggers have condemned the attack and written on the rise in moral policing across cities in India. 

My question is a little different. I don’t inherently have a problem with those who want to reform or promote the Hindu religion. Even if I don’t think that such promotion is necessary and that India has many more pressing problems such as illiteracy, poverty and over-population, those want to focus on religion are entitled to do so. The question is, why does promoting religion automatically deteriorate into the repression and policing of women? 

There are many, many things that the promoters of Hindu religion could focus upon. Many ancient Hindu temples, for instance are in a pathetic state. These are temples built by Hindu kings, to glorify Hindu Gods. Young lovers scrawl ‘chunnu loves munnu’ on the walls and garbage is thrown against crumbling walls. But, we are not concerned about the loss of this greatness that has been passed down to us. Hinduism has its own evils to contend with. Even today, in places, Dalits are not allowed to enter temples and their children are ill-treated at school. But, we are not concerned with such reform. Nor are we bothered about folk arts, music and dance which were often patronised by Hindu kings and temples, but are now dying out as the artists find more paying vocations. 

All that the self-styled defenders of Hindu culture can think about is whether the hemlines of women’s clothes are long enough and whether or not they are engaging in activities that are ‘alien’ to Hindu culture. Even if we discount the politicians who promote such mobs for political ends, there must be people who join these groups believing that they are furthering the cause of Hinduism. Why does women’s clothing and activity become the target? 

For one thing, it is easy to do. Get a bunch of people together, carry some easily available weapons and barge in to the nearest pub or cafe. By contrast, volunteering with Hindu religious and charitable organisations such as the Ramakrishna Math or Chinmaya Mission takes time and effort. 

Then, women are easily shamed. In this country, there are always enough people available to point out how women ‘invited’ attack, by their ‘provocative’ dress/speech/activity/whatever. Even those who feel that women should not be assaulted will question as to what ‘decent’ women were doing in a pub. Few women will press cases against a militant outfit, especially one which has political backing. 

It is also an extension of the same mindset which evaluates the ‘honour’ of a community by how well it’s women stick to prescribed norms. In this mindset, women are not individuals; they are only representatives of a community, and fragile ones at that, who must be protected from their own actions. If they refuse this protection and cross the lines of prescribed behaviour, they no longer qualify for the tag of ‘virtuous Hindu woman’, the sati-savitri who deserves protection. For men with this mindset, even without extraneous political influences or the lure of money, attacking such women is not a crime. This is also compounded by stereotypes of Muslim men as predatory men who prey on gullible Hindu women. To their minds, it is not feasible that a Hindu woman may ‘choose’ to associate with men of a different religion; she has been duped and must be rescued. 

And the sad thing is, this mindset is no longer scarce. While a few actively get out on the streets and assault women, the mindset is more widespread. A few urban individuals condemning such attacks is not enough. And while law and order needs to be strengthened, that is not enough to change this mindset. For a majority of people, the truth is that it is religion and religious leaders who have the most influence. Hindu religious leaders need to take a more aggressive lead in showing the way for Hinduism - for guiding people on to a progressive and inclusive version of Hinduism. In the absence of leaders such as Swami Vivekananda, who were both Hindu and forward-thinking, the space for Hindu leadership is being hijacked by narrow-minded zealots for their own ends, and the results are there for all to see. 

apu Other Social issues in India, Women & Feminism

Sometimes, a really fine piece of travel writing comes along that isn’t even about a place. Gagan Gill’s ‘जो भी ईश्वर को देखता है’ (Whoever sees God..) is one such piece that is ostensibly about the writer’s desire to visit Kailash-Manasarovar, but actually becomes a reflection on myth, faith, the plight of the Tibetan refugees who cannot return to their land and her own sense of finally letting go her husband after his death more than a year ago. 

Writing her will in anticipation of a difficult journey, she says, “यात्रा और आत्महत्या से पहले, जहाँ तक हो सके, सब साफ़ छोड़ना चाहिए…” (Before a journey or a suicide, as far as possible, you must leave everything cleared up). Kailash - Manasarovar is of course a strenous journey, but its reputation in myth and legend is that of a ‘देवभूमि’, the land of the Gods. I found the calm acceptance of possible death on such a journey incredible. 

For the English translation - here. 

apu The Literary life, Travel Tales