You might not know that Rabindranath Tagore’s first sustained experience of America was not New York or San Francisco, but the farming/university town of Urbana, Illinois. He went there in 1912, to visit his son Rathindranath, studying at the University of Illinois. Father Rabindranath had wanted his son not to study literature or the arts at a place like Oxford or Cambridge (or London, as Rabindranath himself had done), but rather agricultural science in the service of what Tagore hoped would turn into a program for village development.
You might expect this small-town Illinois experience in 1913 to have been a lesson in culture shock for the cosmopolitan (soon to be world-famous) Tagore, who just a few weeks earlier had been dining with the cream of the crop in literary London. But no, Tagore fit right in, impressing the local Unitarians and making friends as he would do wherever he went in those years. He quickly moved from Urbana to Chicago, where he was a hit with the literati there, and from Chicago he started getting invitations to lecture at some major universities, which he accepted.
Tagore actually made five trips to the US, starting in 1912, and ending in 1930, according to his biographers Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson, in their excellent (but out of print!) book Tagore: The Myriad-Minded Man. (Note: Their book is the source for most of the information in this post.) By looking at those trips in particular, we can get an image of the man rather different from the aristocratic ‘Gurudev’ that most people know. Tagore came to America, first, to visit his son (who did not stay long), then to raise money for his new university at Shantiniketan. But above all, he came to argue with Americans about American business, industry, and war. What he said and how it was received tells an interesting story about both Tagore and the U.S. in those days. 1. The Mystic
In his early visits to the U.S., Tagore presented himself as a mystic poet and a philosopher, and was received by rapt audiences at packed lectures, standing-room only, at dozens of U.S. universities. But it’s tricky: in his lectures in the U.S. (especially in the second go-round, in 1916-17), Tagore did present a kind of mysticism, mainly as a response to modern political repression. Tagore was deeply critical of the British “machine” in India, even if he wasn’t quite a nationalist (not after the failure of the Swadeshi movement in Bengal). In his later visits, though some of this mystical language remained in his speeches, Tagore spoke quite directly about current events, and criticized British and American policies quite specifically. He also got into some fights with people in the American print-media (for instance, when a reviewer made a comment about his views on Indian child marriage), and wrote copious ‘letters to the editor’ when newspapers misquoted or misunderstood his ideas. As this image of Tagore took hold, he became much less popular than earlier -– but he nevertheless showed he could hold his own quite well.
2. ‘$700 Per Scold’
By his second trip in 1916, Tagore was a Nobel Laureate and a worldwide literary star. He was booked for lectures in twenty-five American cities, many of them at university campuses. He gave talks organized by a professional lecture agency associated with his publisher (Macmillan), and received impressively hefty fees ($700-$1000 a pop – a huge sum in those days). He was lecturing, essentially, against western materialism and for a kind of universal spiritual awareness. There was of course an irony in getting paid very well for criticizing materialism, and the Minneapolis Tribune called him on it:
Half-way through the tour the Minneapolis Tribune called Tagore ‘the best business man who ever came to us out of India’: he had managed to scold Americans at $700 per scold’ while pleading with them ‘at $700 per plead’. (Dutta and Robinson, 204)
(Of course, Tagore wasn’t scolding Americans for his own benefit. By this point he had begun planning for his university at Shanitiniketan, and all of the money he earned would go to that cause.)
Tagore was, not surprisingly, speaking out against militarism a great deal during this lecture series (you can get a flavor for his perspective in the lectures collected in Nationalism). Here he was lucky in his timing; he managed to leave for home just before the U.S. entered World War I.
On his third trip in 1920, Tagore stayed primarily in New York, trying to raise money from wealthy American industrialists. This trip was a failure, in large part because many of the wealthy men he met – people like J.P Morgan -– were involved in businesses that in one way or another depended on dealings with the British empire, and were leery of helping out anyone who was speaking out against it. As Rathindranath put it in a letter, “It was easier for us to speak out against the British Empire in England than in America.” And there were signs that the earlier intense curiosity Tagore’s presence inspired had worn thin. Perhaps America was a different place in 1920 than it had been before the War, or perhaps (as Dutta and Robinson suggest), fashions had merely changed.
Fortunately, Tagore came to depend less and less on the mysticism and other-worldliness that characterized his early years. As he gained experience, his political critiques of American capitalism became more specific and targeted, less like the vast generalizations about eastern and western ‘civilization’ of 1917, and more on the order of international power politics.
[We’re skipping Tagore’s fourth brief trip to the U.S., as not much of consequence transpired, except that he was harassed by immigration at the Canadian border. (Nothing changes, eh?) He also made some statements to the press about the ghastly book by Katherine Mayo called Mother India, which was then a huge bestseller in the U.S. Mayo’s book offers that other old myth of India: poor, backwards, savage.]
3. Arguing with America
Tagore’s final trip to the U.S. in 1930 was, by comparison to the intermediate visits in the 1920s, a definite success. Though he still took every opportunity to scold western militarism and American business practices (while politely requesting American money for his university), Tagore got invites to all the right parties:
Apart from [Tagore’s] striking looks and personality, India was in the news because of Gandhi, and Tagore’s [sympathetic] attitude to Soviet Russia had aroused curiosity; probably too, editors realized that this would be Tagore’s last visit. In the sixty-seven days Tagore was in the USA, the New York Times ran twenty-one reports on him, including two interviews and a beautiful photograph of him with Einstein, captioned ‘A mathematician and a mystic meet in Manhattan.’ He was given a private interview with President Hoover, introduced by the British ambassador (a strange contrast with British official behaviour in 1917-1918. When Tagore once more spoke at Carnegie Hall in New York, which held 4000 people, thousands had to be turned away. A dance performance was given at the Broadway Theater by Ruth St. Denis as a benefit for Shantiniketan; Tagore appeared on stage introduced by his admirer Will Durant. There were exhibitions of his paintings in New York and Boston, to which Ananda Coomaraswamy wrote an interesting introduction. (Dutta and Robinson, 298)
On this final visit, Tagore was more careful than earlier about how he posed his critique of western civilization. But he was still ready to dish it:
At a dinner in New York in his honour . . . in the presence of Franklin Roosevelt, the governor of New York, Sinclair Lewis, the latest Nobel laureate in literature . . . and five hundred others, Tagore said: ‘The age belongs to the West and humanity must be grateful to you for your science. But you have exploited those who are helpless and humiliated those who are unfortunate with this gift. A great portion of the world suffers from your civilization.’ At Carnegie Hall a week later, he went even further. As always he expressed admiration for the ideals of liberty and self-expression of the West at the close of the nineteenth century, but he deplored its failure to live up to them in the East, in particular the failure of Americans to recognize the appeal of India to be free. ‘Our appeal does not reach you, because you respond only to the appeal of power.’ Japan appealed to you and you answered because she was able to prove she would make herself as obnoxious as you can.’ This remark ‘elicited considerable laughter and hand-clapping’, according to the New York Times (Dutta and Robinson, 300-301)
Reading this account today provokes several thoughts.
It’s important to keep in mind that Tagore was not a life-long nationalist figure. He was responding to the situation, and making his critique in language which he thought his listeners would understand. If someone with the Tagore’s aristocratic demeanor were around today, he would be talking about very different kinds of issues, and doing it differently. Hopefully, he would be aware that talk of “civilizations” is generally oversimplified and counterproductive. But he made his point: Tagore’s aim was criticize an unjust practice (colonialism) and an international system (the League of Nations) which was thoroughly unsympathetic to the plight of colonized people in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Moreover, he was – in the halls of American power — pointing out how badly the international system was, even on its own terms, utterly failing.
In some respects, it’s surprising how similar America today is to the America of the 1910s and 20s. There is something very typical about the media frenzy that accompanied his first major lecture tour, the dud of his intervening visits, and finally the glamor (with dignity) he managed to get on his last visit there in 1930. He had weathered the initial clamor and the subsequent backlash, and had ended up as a kind of “opinionated celebrity.”
Of course, being a “celebrity” rather than an actual political organizer or a committed philosopher has its limits, and it’s hard to say whether Tagore’s visits to the U.S. had any lasting impact in the American imagination. Certainly, the self-translated Gitanjali has pretty much always been in print, though it has few champions amongst serious literary critics. (These days, Tagore’s novels in Bangla are read much more closely; some, like Gora, have been newly translated.) However, though Tagore’s literary reputation was generally in decline in the west in his later years, it always remained high in India (where Tagore’s “Jana Gana Mana” was adopted as the national anthem), and particularly in Bengal (where ‘Rabindra Sangeet’ remains incredibly popular and influential). But for all the work fundraising, Shantiniketan suffered for a long while, never quite becoming the site of worldly enlightenment Tagore had hoped for (Visva-Bharati University prospers today). Finally, Tagore’s point about the U.S. only recognizing an opposing perspective when backed up by force seems as true today as it was then. At the very least, it seems clear that Tagore knew the American media beast for what it was, and found a way to work with it without compromising himself.
Ok, so it’s not an inspiring story of total triumph (but how many of those do we have?). The story of Tagore in America is still instructive, and I think we’ve seen versions of it again –- with the rapid rise and quick declines in popularity of people like Deepak Chopra (note: he’s now making ‘spiritual’ video games), and perhaps even Arundhati Roy. (If you benefit by exoticization, prepare to spend your life in a cage of well-lit irrelevance.) After his first two trips, I believe, Tagore realized how he was being used, and worked to find a different, more honest way to speak to America.
Tagore was the first Indian writer to really succeed on a global stage not as a curiosity or show-piece, but on the strength of his ideas and his writings. He did a lot to overcome western misconceptions about Indians, even if he did (especially early on) play into some western stereotypes of mystic India. He also probably helped fight the dominant racism of the time, partly by example and partly by his specific political ideas and positions.
More on Tagore:
Another article on Tagore’s experience in the U.S.
Articles at Parabaas (including some in Bangla)
I want to be a guest blogger!
I like the guest-blogger concept, very cool and makes me check out some new blogs. I’ve been reading through yours briefly Amardeep and I’ve learnt a lot about Amartya Sen and Tagore that I didn’t know about beforehand. I’m a typical Bengali, I like to talk big and boast about our famous sons and daughters. Now I can actually back up why those people are/were great with some facts! Cheers matey.
Bong Breaker,
As a Punjabi, I think it is my responsibility to educate Bengalis everywhere about the greatness of their culture.
(Or… maybe not. I myself don’t speak any Bangla, though I did teach myself the script at one point, so as to be able to check the language of certain words/phrases in his translated books.)
That’s a laudable responsibility you’ve taken on there, mine extends about as far as showing off at every opportunity. I actually did a lecture recently, kind of a crash course in Indian history (6000 years in 60 minutes) for all the clueless British Asians at my uni and I found myself spending most of my research time on Bengal. That’s probably more so I can tell everyone how great it is as opposed to anything else.
And rather impressed with learning the script – I can’t read or write Bengali as a 1.5G’r (I only just learnt that’s what I should be calling myself).
PS – Just did your quiz. 100%. Yeah baby. PPS – See what I mean about the showing off?
It warms my bongcentric heart to see you posting on this, Amardeep 🙂 Funny, too, because I just stumbled across the Amartya Sen piece yesterday. It’s not the best thing I’ve ever read, but it has some juicy details about Tagore’s love life (and failures therein 🙂 which I hadn’t read before. It also talks about the rise and fall of Tagore’s popularity in the West. Unsurprising that Sen would write on Tagore–they’re similar figures in some ways–Renaissance intellectuals, worlwide renown, steeped in an ethic of decency and openmindedness, cosmopolitan yet rooted, brilliant. A comparison by someone more in-the-know than me would be most welcome 🙂
I’ve always drawn a lot of inspiration from Tagore because, aside from the fact that he comes from privilege like I do, he was able to grow over the course of his life. To me, it doesn’t make sense to entirely frame Tagore in terms of “nationalism” or “critique of the West” because as he makes clear himself in books like Gora (sadly, the only work of his I’ve read, even in English), what he’s really steeped in is a sort of humanistic ethics which he then goes out and applies to the world (as opposed to an ideology that he applies to the world). IMO, this allowed him to grow and to adopt positions that went from orthodox to nationalist to cosmopolitan in nature, without abandoning an emphasis on the rights and welfare of man (and maybe woman–I haven’t read his views on gender politics :). This, to me, as an activisty type, is his great contribution in the political realm, and why I look to him as an inspiration.
He even chides me from beyond the grave–to paraphrase, “bangali tho holi, manoosh kobe hobi” –so you’re a bengali, great–when will you become a human being?
Anyway, thanks again.
Funny, the name’s Maitreyi and I spent 7 of my developmental years studying (mostly wallowing) in the “TWIN CITIES!” of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.
Coincidence? I think not!
And it warms my Urbana-centric heart to read this illustrious chapter in my hometown’s history!
Its so easy to get Bengalis loving you! Just tickle their Bengali literature and cinema loving pride and you have them eating out of your hand!
I will use this tactic when I infiltrate Bombay and get Bengali Sex Goddess Bipasha Basu onto my team.
No, but seriously, Bengalis are very special with their intellect and achievment – although I dont know much about the writers and film makers from Bengal at the present moment – they were running things in the past, no doubt about it.
and to get Punjabi Boy loving you, all one has to do is yell
HARIPA!
😉
Whoa there. Bipasha is mine old chap. You can have…Moon Moon Sen.
Films…now that’s my specialist area. Part of the reason that Bengali cinema isn’t quite what it used to be is that Indian film isn’t quite what it used to be. Hmm…I’m still encouraged by a lot of shorts I see and what used to be referred to as arthouse or indie movies. But it’s a dry spell. I was going to write an article about current Indian cinema but didn’t know where to submit it to. Just kind of comparing it to Japanese, Chinese and Iranian cinema and how I think we’ve lagged far behind Japan – a country whose cinema’s evolution paralleled ours in many ways. None more so than the close friendship between Ray and Kurosawa.
Also, here’s a Guardian review of Amartya Sen’s new (and extraordinarily expensive!!!–25 pounds?!?!?) book, The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity.
A short excerpt:
Pankaj Mishra has apparently also written a review of this.
this bangali is jealous of punjabi culture for being much more fun 🙂 I went to a bangali-american-punjabi-american wedding a few years ago and when the dancing started, one side of the room had empty tables and chairs; the other side had a bunch of bangali aunties with their heads down looking like all they wanted was some mishti to make the pain go away and some shannai to show this younger generation what “real wedding music” is 🙂
I’m also jealous of gujaratis, marathis, and south indians for having much better veggie food.
I see your Moon Moon and raise you Nandana.
Bongbreaker, this is a little personal for me because my uncle runs a studio in kolkata (althoguh he mostly makes documentaries and is intersted in anthropological stuff, as far as I can tell). I therefore feel compelled to believe, withotu having watched any of it, that bangla film is getting better from the past few decades and is going to pick up soon (althoguh i recently saw a part of an atrocious Bollywood knockoff–I started laughing really, really hard). If you’re interested, I can rapidshare a history of bangali cinema to you.
I saw a recent screening of Cancer by Pinaki Chowdhury–it was less than stellar but had some interesting stuff in it. I haven’t seen Chokher Bali yet.
btw, do you know any places in new york where i can get my hands on some rithik ghatak? I’ve been told he’s highly underrated (to the point of being as good, if not better, than ray as a filmmaker) by people whose taste I trust.
Also, if you’re in the U.S., I’d suggest submitting to a local paper to start out–Independent Press Association of New York has an online listing of desi diaspora publications (as well as other immigrant and ethnic and community press). Or you could go write for the Indian or Bangladeshi media if you think your judgeemnts can hold up to a more discerning and broader audience 🙂 There are also a whole bunch of 2nd gen publications that either have or will emerge in the near future. EGO, NDN, Brown Sugar, Nirali, SAMAR. But if you want to go for some money or pimp yourself out to an American audience, you could always try a mainstream publication, using some film festival or something as a newshook–too bad the banga sammelan passed you by 🙂
There are other writers who comment on this blog, so I’m sure they could give you better or complementary advice.
cheer up Saurav, you guys have definitely cornered the market on theatre, gorgeous artistic cinema, and brilliant writing (from the beginning to present)
And us Southies will hold onto Reema Sen.
Or you could post it to a blog for free in about five minutes.
Sorry boss, I’m a Londoner! Very kind of you to offer the writing advice though. I actually edit a newspaper (click me name) but as you’ll see nothing to do with this! Two friends edit Asians in the Media and Asiana here in the UK. Once my finals are out the way in a few weeks, I’ll have a serious go at it.
What is your uncle’s studio called? My uncle is Soumendu Roy, who your uncle may know. What a small world. I can’t recommend Ritwik Ghatak enough, start with Meghe Dhaka Tara (1960). However I also cannot agree that he is better than Ray…for very biased reasons!
Haven’t seen Cancer, but Chokher Bali is worth a look. My girlfriend was much more enamoured with it than I was (she’s another Bong), but it wasn’t bad fare. Parineeta, Devdas…there’s a definite interest in a certain aspect of Bengali literature at the moment. Although Devdas chilled me to my bones, a truly, truly dire movie.
Have to dash now, but we’ll talk more Bengali cinema later!
UIUC in DA HOOOUUSSSEEE!!!!
Manish, of course that’s the easiest option, but I’m sure no one would read my blog! I’m happy just to write random things on other peoples’ 😀
Oh and Saurav, forgot to respond to the jealousy post – deffo we need some more fun amongst all the politico-artsy guff! Punjabi weddings are all good…but they haven’t got the monopoly on dancing, the best (Indian) dancer I know is Bengali and the ‘Breaker’ in my name refers to the fact I’m a breakdancer! Some of those Bengali classical dance genes can come out in a 2nd gen way!
Video clips please!
Print and blogging are obviosuly different media. They have different advantages and disadvantages (professionally and personally). Personally, I know that anything I write that I actually want someone to take seriously, I want to work with an editor and go through a process; it’s too easy for compulsive-old-me to just hit “post.” But each to his own.
I’m SO jealous right now. I had a dancer try to teach me the basics of six-stepping at a party once, but it didn’t quite work out. For now, I’m more suited to snarking and consulting than any kind of dancing that requires me to follow instruction. Perhaps I’ll give it another go, now that I know that my cultural heritage extends there too.
Small world indeed 🙂 My uncle’s (and my late grandfather’s and my late great grandfather’s) studio is called Aurora Films. They produced some really good cinema once upon a time, including some by Ray. My mom (that side of the family) will probably have heard of your uncle and I’ll ask her. I can’t believe he was in Ghare-Baire (the only one listed that I’ve actually seen)–that’s pretty cool, and a nice circleback to the topic of the post 🙂
Some of us blog to eliminate the middleman…
Yo Amardeep,
Very informative post! Keep up the good work!
Oh, my desidancing friend, I’m not despondent–I like to rejoice in the fun of bhangra and other such things more than bemoan. It’s good to have diversity 🙂 The food though–the food kills me. The appetizers and mithai and the Chinese desi food that (I think) originates in Tangra in Calcutta is all great, but would it have killed my forebears and those they lived among to have produced something I’d enjoy eating as an entree? 🙂 Well, there’s kochuri I guess 🙂 (sorry…I don’t know how to translate that out of bangla–it’s sort of like daal puri but with other stuff inside)
btw, I think you didn’t mean for it to be interpreted as seriously as I’m about to, but the idea that bangalis have cornered the market on the arts (even some of them) really bothers me. 1) It’s obviously not true (in the one-track bangali uncle sense of if) and is therefore really unfair to aspiring artists and intellectuals and leftist politicos from other desi cultures that aren’t traditionally known for it 2) It denies the full range of activities and the such that we’re all capable of. Like breakdancing 🙂
Also, it makes me feel guilty for being so one-dimensional 🙂
Likewise. But sometimes I think what I’m writing about is important enough to subjugate my desire to shoot my mouth off in favor of a process with external input 🙂 Again, I’m just talking about me–your writing is far more polished in blog form than mine is and you also have a readership, so it makes sense for you. Blog away!
Sorry–that should have read “extensive readership.” I love my little community of readers and strive not to alienate them needlessly except for $hits and giggles 🙂
Saurav, yeah give it another go! I was at a South Asian media thingy the other day, explaining (somewhat inebriated) how one of my proudest achievements is inventing a new dance, bhangra breakdance. Now if that ain’t crossing national and state borders, I don’t know what is!
My uncle wasn’t IN any of those movies by the way, he was the cinematographer. His uncle was Satyajit Ray, and their careers started out at similar times.
With all this talk of kochuri, macher jhol and roshogolla…it’s time for food.
PS – Bengali films, girls and food in one thread. It doesn’t get better than this.
In the interests of intra-Indian ethnic harmony, and because as you can see in this thread that Punjabis and Bengalis share a natural and spontaneous affection for each other, I shall heal the wounds of other intra-Indian-ethnic tensions, and in the interests of said harmony between Gujaratis and Bengalis, post a picture that represents the best in love and harmony and love between the Watermelons of Bengal and the Mangoes of Gujarat. It may already be familiar to you as I posted it before, but no matter, it shall bring peace and pleasure to many men of all Indian ethnicities:
Bengal-Gujarati Love Symbolism
Stop the hate. Patels and Bengalis Unite. No more dissing. Plenty more kissing.
sigh. my hero. (as I struggle to master the bollywood-pop-n-lock)
For current Bengali art filmmakers, besides Rituparno Ghosh we might also mention Aparna Sen, who made a big splash with ‘Mr. and Mrs. Iyer’ a couple of years ago. (Earlier, she did a series of very arty films. I saw one of them, Yugant, at a film festival in New York a few months ago… interesting stuff)
but the idea that bangalis have cornered the market on the arts (even some of them) really bothers me.
Incidentally, Saurav, even back in the day (i.e., during the ‘Bengali Renaissance’), Bongs were prominent in fields besides the arts and the law. For instance, one of Tagore’s contemporaries was Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, who was only the second Indian to be accepted into the Royal Academy of Sciences (which was then a kind of de facto list of who’s who in science).
Read the bio on the link above — the guy was clearly a scientific genius.
Hooray I’m someone’s hero! Becoming a HERO – surely every Indian fella’s dream. Good name you got there Desi Dancer…kinda like Bong Breaker! 😉 I’ll try to get some pics from my next show if ya like. I may be supporting a mate of mine if I get round to choreographing something. Otherwise it’ll be some time in November.
Punjabi Boy. You da man.
Haha–he still gets in IMDB for being a cinematographer? I guess i shouldn’t laugh because it’s probably an important job (I know nothing about filmmaking). I’m sure he knows my family then. They probably all hate each other too–the film business seems more fraught with ego clashes than any kind of love.
Well, it would be nice if someone posted a picture of a hot guy, but I’ve learned to accept my place on this blog. But yes, I’m enjoying this thread as well 🙂 Now if only I could get some kochuri right now.
are bengalis naturally flexible, re: break-dancing? is it a stereotype? two of my brothers can dislocate their shoulders and go right back to normal, and i’m pretty flexible too (ask my gf ;).
Bengali cinema had Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak. Punjabi cinema had Meher Mittal.
Oh, I’m aware. There were many rewards for sucking at the teat of the British for a hundred years or so–heightened education and status and cultural prominence within South Asia being one of them. Not as many rewards for turning on them, though 🙂
Hey, me too! I can bend my legs back at the knee to almost in front of my body. And I’m (slowly) approaching 30.
Bengali Cinema had Pather Panchali(1955), Apu Sansar (1959), and Charulata (1964)
Punjabi Cinema had Wanted: Gurdas Mann Dead or Alive,(1994)
bongbreaker (and others, actually)–let me know if you want a short documentary history of bangla cinema that my uncle produced for the banga sammelan. subtitled in english!
Saurav, not sure what your type is, but I think the mutiny is all about equality.
Hey, me too! I can bend my legs back at the knee to almost in front of my body. And I’m (slowly) approaching 30.
when my mother was 6, she was fooling around and put her legs behind her head when she was on the beach. unfortunately, she got stuck, and high tide was approaching (she was visiting relatives in the chittagong area). luckily someone found her and extricated her from her predicament.
Awww. Now it’s my turn to feel all warm and fuzzy 🙂 I’ll even forgive you for that last picture 🙂
btw, my type is “naked.”
I’m not a bendy breakdancer. I have to do yoga and mallakhamb to get flexible. But I DO know a lot of bendy Bongs! Weird. Yeah Saurav hit us with the history, I’d definitely be interested. And yes cinematographers get in IMDB, why wouldn’t they?! They, ultimately, are responsible for what you see on camera. IMDB is an awesome resource, it features everyone who’s anyone. In film.
I’m just glad you didn’t specify you wanted a hot Bengali guy…oh dear. Did anyone say Mithun Chakraborty? Of course you realise I’m exempting myself from this condemnation of Bengali men. Ahem.
I had another dance idea, inspired by my girlfriend who did bharatnatyam for 16 years. But, stupid/paranoid as it may sound, I don’t want to mention it on here. I know it’s a popular blog and I don’t want my idea stolen!
“btw, do you know any places in new york where i can get my hands on some rithik ghatak? I’ve been told he’s highly underrated (to the point of being as good, if not better, than ray as a filmmaker) by people whose taste I trust.”
Saurav, there’s a Bengali bookshop in Jackson Heights. I can’t remember its name for the life of me, but they have every Bengali book and film imaginable — at least as far as I can tell. And they’re open minded. You can even get Taslima Nasreen. 😛 I could give you vague directions, but I don’t know how helpful they would be. It’s on 74th St. right by the stairs leading up to the 7 train. There’s a small sign for it, pointing to a set of stairs. The shop itself is on the second floor above a non-desi fast food place (with lots of fried food in the window), and its kind of small and cramped, but the owner is very knowledgeable about films and will pull out nearly anything you would request. How’s that for the “desi-est” directions ever?
— Not a Bong, but a Punjabi dating a Bong. 🙂
Yes, I’ve been there–bought a Bangla-English dictionary and even visited while doing some immigrant rights outreach. But I didn’t realize they had videos. That helps, because I was thinking of heading down to J-Heights tonight anyway to try and find a copy.
Isn’t 2nd floor, small, and cramped just the best for bookstores? So romantic 🙂
It’s a huge file, but I’ll try to yousendit and post the link here.
wow, a lot going on here. my cable service was out all day and i see i’ve missed on a great convo. mad props, amardeep.
manish,
nandana is fine. always has been fine. i knew her years ago here in boston. had a crush on her, but so did everybody else. i once ran into her with her mother, who took a keen interest in me, my background, etc. later my mother met her mother in a totally unrelated context and learned that nabanita had thought i’d be a good match for her daughter.
alas it was not to be. we were only in sporadic touch, then she went off and married a german.
(there’s something about german guy-indian girl relationships that needs investigating, by the way. seems to crop up more often than others.)
as for the other topics on this thread, thanks to you all for stimulating my bong half. by the way, does anyone know if one can find a dvd of ray’s “the chess players?” it’s one of his late films, and one of the few (only?) he did in hindi.
peace
Amardeep, what do you make of the “myth” that Tagore wrote the national anthem to appease the visiting British Prince? I have heard too many conflicting reports. In your research did you come across any indication that this might be true? Thanks
Aw, man, great story. She may have broken your heart, but did you have to make sure she broke mine too 😉
Blame Herman Hesse and the general German obsession with Indian texts 🙂 Irish-Punjabi seems common too, or maybe I just notice ’em more.
Haven’t you heard? It’s been digitally remade 😉
Siddhartha, here you go: http://store.nehaflix.com/shkekhdvd.html
You can repay me with an introduction to any of the following.