Monthly Archives: February 2005

Best Friend or Henchman?

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In a recent interview about her upcoming film Namesake, Mira Nair mentioned the following about her lead actor Kal Penn:

…after meeting him I felt that he was just the right man for the job. He is the fastest rising Indian American star. His film Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle is a big hit out here and all the 13-year-olds in America know and love him. The Namesake will be his first dramatic role. He is an extraordinary actor. He has just signed on as Superman’s best friend in the new movie called Superman Returns.

What? Oh my gosh, that is so cool. An Indian guy as Superman’s best friend instead of as a terrorist? Wait. It can’t be. Ign.com cures me of my delusions:

Penn confirmed that he will portray one of Lex Luthor’s henchmen (one of a handful seen in the film). Penn – who has been friends with the new Man of Steel, Brandon Routh, for about four years – admitted that he will only be reading the script for the first time this week and that he has yet to meet Kevin Spacey but is excited to work with him. A fan of director Bryan Singer’s films, Penn added that he is scheduled to go to Australia closer to the summer to film his scenes. His stint on Superman will last about two months.

Okay. THAT I can believe.

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The Passion of Bobby Jindal-Part II

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As promised, here is a pointer to the follow-up of the story of the religious transformation of Bobby Jindal as reported by Francis C. Assisi and Elizabeth Pothen of Indolink.com:

Not yet out of High School, Jindal acknowledges that it was “a time of constant prayer and struggle” as he anticipated the ultimate confrontation with his parents. It came, rather unexpectedly, when he was recovering from a serious car accident and his mother wanted to know “which God” he had thanked for his safety.

Jindal explains: “I had resolved not to lie when faced with such direct questioning and admitted my Christian faith. I had prepared myself for the worst. I knew my parents had every right to end their financial support or kick me out of their house. I realized the consequences of my decision and was ready to face these hardships. I had decided the freedom to worship Christ was more important than the material comforts provided by my parents, including the privilege to attend Brown that fall. I even made plans to attend a local university and had arranged housing as well as a job to support myself.”

But Jindal, who had secured his financial position with a generous academic merit scholarship, was not as prepared for the emotional battles. He was also careful not to lie to them. As he rightly asks: “Is any faith worth having if it motivates its adherents to deception, especially between parents and children?”

I’ll let you read the rest of the article for yourselves with one exception. The following was my favorite quote:

Jindal’s “search for truth” continued even though several members of the clergy advised him that in certain instances deception could be justified.

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Will Modi have a hotel to stay at?

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The Institute on Religion and Public Policy, a Washington-based group for religious freedom, is petitioning the State Department to deny Gujarat’s Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s entry to the US to speak at the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) Convention. Garavi Gujarat reports:

The proposed Modi visit comes on the back of an invitation extended to him by the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA). The decision has also divided the organization, with some members arguing that it was a bad move to invite such a controversial figure in the first place. AAHOA, which is dominated by Gujaratis, represents around 60 per cent of the budget and mid-sized hotels in the US.

According to M P Rama, AAHOA`s vice-chairman, the organization had invited Modi from a business perspective, given his interest in inviting foreign investment and interest among AAHOA members in investing in Gujarat.

‘When we invite a speaker we don`t go by political or religious affiliation. We look at how our members might benefit. Most of our members, perhaps up to 95 per cent are Gujaratis and they would like to hear first hand from the chief minister whether the state will offer us red tape or red carpet,” Rama said.

However, some AAHOA members, who did not want to go on record, expressed reservations about the invitation to Modi. One member pointed out that AAHOA was born out of a sense of discrimination Asian hoteliers faced in the United States. The organization should not do anything to dilute its mission statement, he said.

I love Rama’s honesty. “We look at how our members might benefit.” Still, it’s in instances such as this where I wish that higher ideals would win out. For those unfamiliar, the chief minister has been blasted by many groups for his role in Hindu/Muslim violence in the state of Gujarat. Continue reading →

Why I love aerobics

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aerobics.jpg Any guys that go to the gym as regularly as I do can attest to the fact that the aerobics room is always beyond reach. You CAN’T go in and participate because then the muscle bound guys outside won’t ever look you in the eyes again. You also have to purchase an extremely unflattering spandex outfit to enter. And yet… you long to be part of a place with such a favorable girl-to-guy ratio. You would be like a lion running free through a savannah of gazelles. Is there no hope? The San Jose Mercury News gives me hope:

Jane Fonda in a leotard and leg warmers super-charged the aerobics field in the 1980s.

Now, some unlikely candidates have arrived to lay claim to the throne the Hollywood icon abandoned almost 25 years ago. Two California sisters, Sheila and Sarina Jain, whose family hails from Rajasthan, India, are billing themselves as the “Indian Jane Fondas.”

Sheila, 28, of San Francisco, teaches around the Bay Area. Sarina, 29, moved to New York City to strike it big. Together, they are changing the international aerobics landscape with a pioneering and patented Indian aerobic dance routine, called Masala Bhangra Workout. Their fourth exercise DVD has just been released, and they recently have signed a contract for international distribution.

Masala means “spicy” in Hindi. Bhangra is a traditional harvest dance from northern India. Together, the popular routine is helping introduce Indian culture through exercise, and enticing those from the subcontinent to put down the greasy samosas and skip to the right, hop, hop, hop. Circle to the left, circle to the right. Knees up. Knees up.

The Jain sisters’ exercise routine is not for the faint of heart. And it’s certainly not for the uncoordinated. In some ways, it’s all about the head. It must constantly bob, side to side, to the beat of an Indian dhol drum.

“Just go to an Indian party and shake your head. You’ll look sooooo cool,” Jain shouted recently to a crowd of about 150 sweaty aerobicizers at her popular University of California-Berkeley session.

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Tsunami reveals ancient ruins in India

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050218_ancientcity_hmed_7a.hmedium.jpgFascinating. MSNBC reports –

MAHABALIPURAM, India – Archaeologists have begun underwater excavations of what is believed to be an ancient city and parts of a temple uncovered by the tsunami off the coast of a centuries-old pilgrimage town. Three rocky structures with elaborate carvings of animals have emerged near the coastal town of Mahabalipuram, which was battered by the Dec. 26 tsunami.

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I like my Zeitgeist mirchi, thanks.

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But inquiring minds in Amreeka wanted to know, too. From the Google Blog:

Wednesday, February 16, 2005
A richer Zeitgeist brew
If you were in India, what would you search for? Inquiring minds from Mumbai to Bangalore wanted to know, so now there’s a new Google India Zeitgeist. Among the most searched-for queries in January: the tsunami of course, and Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai.

Want some Zeitgeist? Help yourself…beta. Continue reading →

Frank “The Bruiser” Pallone goes after Power 99

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I should start by admitting that Congressman Pallone really isn’t known by the nickname “The Bruiser,” but I just thought it fit him. In any case, the Desi friendly Pallone brings some welcome muscle in the fight against the DJs at Philadelphia’s Power 99. New Kerala reports:

US Congressman and India Caucus co-founder Frank Pallone has formally requested a Federal Communications Commission probe into “offensive and racist” threats made on a radio programme in Philadelphia during a conversation with a call centre operator in India.

The New Jersey representative expressed support for a claim filed by the NRIs in the US, and demanded “immediate action” against the incident on December 15 when two radio hosts at WUSL-FM Power 99 phoned a corporate call centre in India and threatened to “choke” the call centre operator.

In a letter to FCC chairman Michael Powell, Pallone said the incident undermined bilateral relations to “perpetuate racism and hate” against a community that has “strengthened the backbone” of the US.

“I am appalled by this confrontation that took place on the radio and, moreover, I am particularly disturbed that a woman from India was the unfortunate victim,” the New Jersey Congressman wrote.

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Racial facials for digital mugs

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St. Andrews Perception Laboratory’s “Face Transformer” allows you to change the age, race or sex of a facial image. The web-based Java app can also morph a photo into the style of a famous artist, caricature, or even an ape.

All you need is a browser that supports Java and a digital face image (JPEG or GIF format). Of special interest to SM readers may be the races, which include Afro-Caribbean, Caucasian, East Asian, and West Asian (their term for South Asian). The whole process is relatively quick and easy. The hardest part is finding a decent photo. While you search for one, here’s a few tests that I ran through the system:

Aishwarya Rai, Actress

Wanted to use Preity Zinta (in a variety of ways), but y’all seem quite smitten with the lovely Ms. Rai. So, whatever, you win. It must feel good to win. It doesn’t feel good to lose.

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Brown Eye for the Royal Guy

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Taking pity on the famously sartoriously challenged couple of Prince Charles and Camilla, Bombays dabbawallahs (tiffin carriers) have decided to join their lunch money and get the couple some spiffy threads.

They are pooling money to buy a traditional Indian headdress for Prince Charles and a sari, blouse and bangles for Camilla for their 8 April wedding. It is considered auspicious in Maharashtra state to give a green nine-metre silk sari with a traditional zari border and green bangles to a bride to wish her luck. Zari is a type of thread made of fine gold or silver wire woven into fabrics.[BBC]

Interestingly, while a nine-meter sari may be auspicious, the tiffin carriers have decided to get Camilla one only 2/3rds that length. Is this a snark on her much derided femininity? Desi cheapness coming out? Nope – it’s consideration:

“Camilla may face problems wearing a long sari, so we have decided to gift her a six-metre sari,” says Mr Medge.

_39515437_turban203.jpg No word as to what headdress they’re getting Prince Charles. In the past, Charles had declined to wear a ceremonial turban he was given in Haryana. His staff explained this away by saying that the prefab turban looked silly balancing on top of his ears the Prince didn’t understand the significance of the gift.

How much does it cost to buy a wedding present for the couple that has everything alot, but still less than certain britasians?

The gifts and delivery to Buckingham Palace by courier will set back the tiffin carriers $60 – and most of them will be contributing. The tiffin carriers typically earn anything between $80 and $95 a month. [BBC]

See also: this previous post on the Bombay tiffin carriers. Continue reading →

The Legend of the Clairvoyant Ape

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Very recently someone asked me where we, the bloggers of Sepia Mutiny, find all our news stories from. How are we so on top of things? I told him that it was a trade secret but that it involved a few dozen well-trained chimpanzees sitting in front of computers in a basement in North Dakota, twenty-four hours a day. If PETA ever found out… You think that’s farfetched? Well, more about that in a moment.

The New York Times reviewed a book this past Sunday titled, THE RISE OF THE INDIAN ROPE TRICK: How a Spectacular Hoax Became History.

ropetrick.jpg

When John Elbert Wilkie died in 1934, he was remembered for his 14 years as a controversial director of the Secret Service, during which he acquired a reputation for forgery and skullduggery, and for masterly manipulation of the press. But not a single obituary cited his greatest contribution to the world: Wilkie was the inventor of the legendary Indian Rope Trick. Not the actual feat, of course; it does not and never did exist. In 1890, Wilkie, a young reporter for The Chicago Tribune, fabricated the legend that the world has embraced from that day to this as an ancient feat of Indian street magic.

How did a silly newspaper hoax become a lasting icon of mystery? The answer, Peter Lamont tells us in his wry and thoughtful ”Rise of the Indian Rope Trick,” is that Wilkie’s article appeared at the perfect moment to feed the needs and prejudices of modern Western culture. India was the jewel of the British Empire, and to justify colonial rule, the British had convinced themselves the conquered were superstitious savages who needed white men’s guidance in the form of exploitation, conversion and death. The prime symbol of Indian benightedness was the fakir, whose childish tricks — as the British imagined — frightened his ignorant countrymen but could never fool a Westerner.

When you’re certain you cannot be fooled, you become easy to fool. Indian street magicians have a repertory of earthy, violent tricks designed for performance outdoors — very different from polite Victorian parlor and stage magic. So when well-fed British conquerors saw a starving fakir do a trick they couldn’t fathom, they reasoned thus: We know the natives are too primitive to fool us; therefore, what we are witnessing must be genuine magic.

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