The South Asianist Journal
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Ship of Theseus (English/Hindi, 2013): an odyssey within
No full textA review of Ship of Theseus (English/Hindi, 2013)Director: Anand GandhiCast: Aida El-Kashef, Sohum Shah, Neeraj Kabi, Vinay ShuklaMusic: Naren Chandavarkar, Benedict Taylo
Migration to and from the Nepal terai: shifting movements and motives
Full text linkIn Nepal, the historical evidence shows that migration to the terai increased after the eradication of malaria in the late 1950s and has been increasing ever since. More recently, however, out-migration from the terai is rapidly increasing. By applying both qualitative and quantitative research methods, in-depth qualitative interviews, focus group discussions and household survey were used for data collection, with considerable inputs from ethnographical fieldwork for about 21 months. The paper presents three types of population flows in the historical pattern. First, the history of Nepal as an arena of population movement; second, the gradual opening up of the terai, leading to the hills-terai movement; and the third, the current outward flow as an individual migration for work. The paper exemplifies that poverty and lack of arable land are not the only push factors, but that pursuing a better quality of life is gaining importance as a migration motive. We conclude that like movements of people, their motives for moving are also not static and cannot be taken for granted
Of marriages and families: clothing the marriageable Tamil woman
Full text linkThe secondary role played by women in Tamil films – both on and off screen – has been widely discussed in journalistic circles and academia. Nair’s assertion that in Indian films ‘women exist only in relation to the men, as their mothers, their wives, and especially their lovers’ is true of Tamil film narratives too (Jain and Rai 2002: 52). This portrayal of women has led to her social and cultural identity relying heavily, if not solely, on her being able to marry the right man. Moreover, the highly gendered Indian nationalism, relegating women to the ‘inner sphere’ and expecting them to remain pure (Chatterjee 1993), vests the responsibility of upholding culture in women, often subjecting them to standards higher than those set for men, the ‘outer sphere’. Weidman (2005: 754) adds that not only is inner sphere versus outer sphere a matter of men versus women but ‘as a difference between kinds of women: the respectable middle-class “family woman” and the lower class “prostitute”’, establishing idealised notions of womanhood that are manifested in tangible ways such as acceptable behaviour, appropriate language and appreciable clothing. This paper explores the role of clothing in cinema in establishing such an identity for a Tamil woman over the years. With specific emphasis on the role of a woman as a spouse, it investigates how clothing (jewellery and makeup) contributes to the marriage-worthiness of a Tamil woman in films over the century
The lost ethos of Uttam-Suchitra films: a ‘nostalgic’ review of some classic romances from the golden era of Bengali cinema
Full text linkThe mild tune of the sweet and soft song wrapped in sentimental love, “Ogo tumi je aamaar... Ogo tumi je aamaar” (You are mine, only mine…) from the Bengali movie Harano Sur (Lost Melody) released in 1957 still buzzes pleasantries, not only inside my ear, but also at the centre of my mind. Suchitra Sen and Uttam Kumar were considered the ‘golden couple’ of Bengali films from 1953 to 1978. They left their special identities by contributing the best of themselves through their marvellous acting talent. When I reminiscence about some of the Bengali films featuring the superb acting of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen from the depths of my memory, it seems as if both of them are standing before my eyes in all their romantic glory. Such is the power they evoke in me, even today, since I first encountered them in my teenage years in the 1950s.Since time immemorial man has looked for light, wisdom, eternal peace, sustainable contentment, mystery of immortality and the ultimate motive of that non-existing abstract concept of God. Now there is a big question mark before contemporary human society – whether we are moving forward or backward, whether we are really marching ahead, and if so whether it is in a positive or negative direction? This is a debatable topic, an opinion, which thinking minds will definitely differ on. Of course it is a matter of great joy that cinema, as a powerful medium of communication, has been able to touch every aspect of modern human society. This brings us to discussing the status of romance or love in Bengali cinema half a century back. These divine qualities teach us the hymn of humanity and the art of living. These heavenly qualities are highly essential for the survival of the human society in peace and happiness. Of course, the world of cinema has not totally ignored the importance of these human qualities to be reflected and utilized through the different roles of different characters in different movies. But most modern cinemas in almost all the languages of India are not paying much attention towards the above-mentioned heavenly qualities of human beings. “I” and “mine” are replacing the idea of “we” and “ours”.
Interview with Gowthama Sannah, Propaganda Secretary of the VCK, Chennai, 26th September 2012
Full text linkThe compromised and ‘failing’ position of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Republican Party of India, led one eminent commentator to urge Dalit activists and scholars to “look south because Tamil Nadu may offer some important lessons” for Dalit politics (Omvedt 2003: xvii-xviii). Tamil Nadu is indeed an interesting case study because it is one of the more developed states within India and has a long history of anti-caste politics and legislation. Despite this, it remains one of the more caste-divided regions as well. Autonomous mobilisation by Dalit groups coincided with an increase in casteist violence designed to keep the Dalits in a subordinate position (Gorringe 2006). It is only in the past decade, therefore, that Dalit parties have achieved sufficient credibility to forge alliances with established parties (Wyatt 2009). No Dalit party has been able to emulate the success of the BSP in electoral terms, but the political context here is very different (Omvedt 2003). The primary aim of Dalit parties in Tamil Nadu, rather, has been to strip ‘Dalit voters away from Dravidian parties’ (Roberts 2010: 18). Omvedt’s opinion comes in a book of speeches by the Tamil Dalit leader Thirumavalavan and she argues that the passion and vibrancy that characterised initial BSP mobilisation are captured in the fiery speeches and grass-roots mobilisation of Thirumavalavan and the Viduthalai Ciruthaigal Katchi (VCK – Liberation Panther Party) – the largest Dalit movement in Tamil Nadu. Roberts (2010) concurs with Omvedt’s assessment and argues that the Tamil Dalit movement has a wider social and political significance that extends beyond the state. In the past few years the VCK have cemented their alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (Dravidian Progressive Federation – DMK), one of the two main political parties in the state, and have gained entry to the political mainstream. On one hand, commentators suggest that the VCK offer a different, Dalit, way of doing politics rather than mimicking the established parties and point to welfare concessions that they have secured since allying with the DMK. Conversely, there is a widespread sense that the VCK are in danger of emulating other institutionalised movements by losing their radicalism and alienating their supporters. There are widespread allegations of corruption and profiteering, including numerous stories of VCK activists acting as brokers or middlemen in caste disputes for monetary gain. This interview was conducted as part of a research project, focused primarily on Dalit voters and activists in and around Madurai in order to understand how political subjectivities, ideas of citizenship, and perceptions of social exclusion have been reshaped by the entry of autonomous Dalit parties into the political mainstream. It is trying to understand whether and/or how the demands and critiques of Dalit movements have been integrated into the political behaviour of Dalit citizens and also the extent to which such ideas have informed the wider political sphere. Whilst interviews with Thirumavalavan frequently feature in Tamil magazines, it is much less common for those in secondary leadership positions to be able to articulate their positions. This interview with one of the leading Dalit intellectuals in the party offers a frank and reflexive account of the trials and tribulations of Dalit politics in Tamil Nadu.We invite feedback relating to this special interview, which may be communicated through the comment features of this online journal (registered users), or by directly contacting the author/contributors: Dr. Hugo Gorringe [email protected]. Gowthama Sanna [email protected] or http://gsannah.wordpress.co
Shakespeare-wallah: cultural negotiation of adaptation and appropriation
Full text linkAdaptation of Shakespearean plays for theatrical and film media in India was initiated in the mid-nineteenth century, largely as part of conceited efforts to introduce English education into the colony. The primary reason why, as is popularly believed, Shakespeare’s plays have stayed on the mass cultural consciousness is because his plays are universal, bound by no time and space. But what does it mean to be universal, or timeless? Or to put it in other words, if a Shakespearean play is transposed to a radically different time and space does it still remain Shakespearean? Can an adaptation of a certain Shakespearean text still remain Shakespearean in essence in spite of the replacement of the theatrical performativity retained in original text with the dynamics of cinematic performativity inherent in the execution of the medium? In this paper I would like to explore those Indian adaptations of Shakespeare that are without the aid of the “Shakespearean language”. I would like to take up Vishal Bhardwaj’s adaptation of Macbeth into \u27Maqbool\u27 (2004) and Othello into \u27Omkara\u27(2006) in order to investigate and understand how Shakespeare can be and has been appropriated into the national ethos and also fitted into a very typically Indian socio-political setting of Northern India with all its class distinctions and existing social stratums and furthermore, how they can still function as independent works of art, with or without Shakespeare. My attempt will be to assess how Bhardwaj adapts and appropriates the Shakespearean plays to fit into particularized sociological and geopolitical issues of India without compromising the central strains of the plays
Autumnal explorations of alterity: conjuring ghosts of Kashmir\u27s forgotten and disappeared in \u27Harud\u27
Full text linkA review of \u27Harud\u27/Autumn, 2010 (Urdu) Director: Aamir Bashir Screenplay: Aamir Bashir, Mahmood Farooqui, Shanker Raman Cast: Mohammad Amir (Reza) Naji, Shahnawaz Bhat, Shamim Basharat, Salma Asha
Living as a ‘minority’: A case of Buddhist-Dalits in contemporary Uttar Pradesh
Full text linkIn this paper, I will deal with ‘converted-Buddhists’, Buddhist-Dalits, in western UttarPradesh, focusing on their religious-ritual practices and narratives. In previousstudies, scholars have studied whether Buddhist-Dalitscan distance themselves fromHindu beliefs and practices and, if so, the extent of their separation. This perspectiveis based on the idea of ‘discontinuity’. However, I would like to consider conversionnot from the viewpoint of ‘discontinuity’ but from that of ‘continuity’. On the onehand, Buddhist-Dalitsideologically adopt Buddhist practices; on the other hand,they selectively or syncretistically continue to follow certain Hindu traditions. This isbecause Buddhist-Dalits need to negotiate with Hindu relatives in determining theirstatus and position in society
Princely India re-imagined: a historical anthropology of Mysore from 1799 to the present - By Aya Ikegame
Full text linkAs Aya Ikegame points out at the very start of her book, princely states formed almost half the land area of British India, yet the Rajas who ruled those states ‘have been entirely neglected’; they are ‘truly the people without history,’ she says, ‘ghosts of the past... occasionally amusing eccentric[s]... whose role historians are little inclined to address’ (p. 1). Her new book is a major step in redressing that neglect
ISO certified pardahs and agency mechanisms among Muslim women in Kerala
Full text linkIncreasing waves of labour migration from the Southern Indian state of Kerala to the Arabian Gulf have led to a series of new developments exemplified by rising consumerism, especially among middle class Muslims in the state. An interesting result has been not only the adoption of the Arabian female black dress, the pardah, but also its enforcement as a uniform and a marker of religiosity by Islamic groups. Whereas global forces leading to the creation of job opportunities in the Gulf have positively impacted the state of Kerala in relation to levels of human development and education, Muslim women are witnessing increased social controls. Paradoxes lie in attempts to create emancipatory tools out of the confining frameworks of patriarchal domination characteristic of much of Keralite society. This paper is based on ethnographic material seeking to unravel the different dynamics of agency and domination in Northern Kerala.