At The Edge

"[…] the annexed Chinese Map of India, originally copied by M.Klaproth from the Great Japanese Encyclopedia for the illustration of the Foe koue ki. Although in some particulars it differs from the narrates of Hwan thsang and Shy fa hian, being the compilation of some unknown Chinese geographer, who probably gathered his materials from many and conflicting accounts. it will be found both useful and interesting at a time when public attention is directed to China for the most authentic particulars of the early history of this country." ~ Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Volume 17, Part 2, 1848. It was an addendum to Alexander Cunningham's detailing of Hiuen Tsang's route in India.

Originally written for EPW Blog While Indian cinema of 1950s is mostly blank on the subject of Partition, poet Saifuddin Saif’s Kartar Singh (1959), a Punjabi film from Pakistan is perhaps the best specimen in which we can see the way Partition was explored in moving pictures by a generation that had been recently and directly impacted by the events of 1947. The story is set in a village where Sikh, Hindus and Muslims are a well-knit unit. The world outside is slowly getting more violent (in the first scene we see local Hindu medicine man Vaid Prem Nath reading the news aloud and wondering about the sorry state of the world) but the village is an island of peace where words of Waris Shah sung by the local mendicant still bring solace to souls of worrying kind. The only sign of trouble in the village is a rakish young Sikh man named Kartar Singh, the antagonist from whom the film gets its name. Kartar Singh is introduced to the viewers as he attempts to abduct a young woman in th...

Originally written for EPW Blog B R Chopra's Dharmputra (1961) was the second film directed by Yash Raj. It was based on a novel by Acharya Chatursen Shastry (who died in 1960). The screen adaptation was by Akhtar-Ul-Iman. The story is set in Delhi during the time of partition. Although the film is often described as story of a Muslim child who is adopted by a Hindu family and grows up to be a Hindu fanatic, the film is in fact about two religious families and their response to religious fanaticism - a response based on their interpretation of religion, a response steeped in a mishmash “Hindu Humanism” and “Nehruvian Humanism”. The usual: Humanity is the real religion, all religions are equal, so on and so forth. Husn Bano, daughter of Nawab Badruddin, was in love with commoner Javed who was her tutor. Of course, she gets pregnant. Nawab, although a progressive man, was worried about his status and didn't allow the two to get married. He sought help of Dr Amrit Rai, so...

-0- Originally written for EPW Blog The newspapers today are filled with congratulations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The nuances vary, depending on the tone, character, and attitude of the newspaper. All, however, agree on one thing: Modi is a man of stature who has already accomplished historically important deeds and faces still greater challenges. He is the kind of statesman found only rarely in India. During his lifetime, he has the good fortune not only to be appreciated and loved by the overwhelming majority of the Indian people, but even more importantly to be understood by them. He is the only Indian politician since 1947 who understood the real situation and drew the necessary hard and firm conclusions. All the newspapers agree on this. It no longer needs to be said that he has taken up work that started in 1857 and intends to complete it. There is enough proof of this even for those who do not believe, or who think ill of him. I therefore do not think it necessa...

She looks at the speed dial They are going to die She smiles -0-

Originally written for EPW Blog   "…how much does he earn?" "Once he gets married, he will start earning too." "So, does he not earn anything now?" "He does but a man can't always win. Sometimes he loses too." "Loses!" "Isn't that's true of gambling?" "So, he's a gambler!" "No, not a gambler but once he gets drunk, he obviously can't help playing a hand or two." "Gambler and a drunkard too. But he's too nice a person according to you!" "Of course! Once married, he will stop visiting that dancer's house and his drinking-gambling days will be over too" "So, he goes to the house of some dancer too!" "What's wrong with that? Only bluebloods have such taste." "Alright then, tell me about his bloodline too" "As soon as we find anything about his bloodline, we will cert...

From Jat land. Hip-Hop for Ganpat's mummy-daddy.   "perhaps, at the very heart of it all, in its [the subcontinent's] climate, with its unendurable heat and unpredictable monsoons" ~Wendy Doniger in 'The Hindus: An Alternative History'" From Desert land... featuring a phenomenon called Rani Rangilee. Angrez log will be forced to go Freudian on this one. Half-way though it...they will be probably orgasmic.   Ram and Sita imagining doing things to each other in 'Rama at Sita' from Philippines.  Annotated notes:   -0- A God for Bladder Control