Hasselhoff finally gets his Oscar

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Well, a Bollywood Oscar anyway. And the award wasn’t presented in Bombay, but rather in, uh, New Jersey.

Nevertheless, one can only imagine the electricity in the air as hundreds gathered to honor one of the greatest actors of their generation – MSNBC Reports – Apparently, Indians also love David Hasselhoff –

IndiaÂ’s version of the Oscars were handed out at the glittering Bollywood movie award ceremony on Saturday that saw a veteran director sweep the top honors and U.S. actor David Hasselhoff named international star of the year.

Veer-Zaara and Rani Mukherji picked up awards as well presented by… David Hasselhoff.

“The winner is the ‘Spielberg of India,’ Yash Chopra,” said Baywatch star Hasselhoff as he presented the award for best film [to Yash Chopra for Veer-Zaara].

Hasselhoff – so often the butt of late night jokes for his improbably strong European singing career – can apparently count on a billion desi’s within his fanbase. I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise that, given his repertoire of 80s personae, Hasselhoff continues to inspire modern Bollywood villains and heroes alike – Continue reading →

Police rapists

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A Bombay policeman allegedly raped a girl in broad daylight (via India Uncut):

A quiet evening, sitting by the sea at Marine Drive turned into a nightmare for a 17-year-old girl. Priya Ravi (name changed), a resident of Chembur, was just idling at the promenade along with three male friends last evening, when constable Sunil More… approached them… he demanded that they come to the police chowky… Inside, he bolted the door and allegedly raped her…

More… was completely nonchalant and allegedly said, “Jo ukhad sakte ho, ukhad lo (do whatever you want)…” According to Kayum Shaikh who was present at the spot, “The constable was drunk and came out of the chowky adjusting his belt. He was aggressive and appeared completely unconcerned with what had just happened.” [Mid-Day]

Police sources said More always got away with rude behaviour and drinking on duty because his brother-in-law, a police inspector in the Crime Branch, shielded him. [Express]

The cop’s been fired and charged with a crime, but only because of public outrage. Says Amit Varma:

I’m just surprised that the boys who were with that girl let the policeman take her inside that chowky. Perhaps they were young and naive. In time, they will learn that the typical Indian policeman is like this: undereducated, overworked, underpaid, sexually repressed, resentful of richer people, and drunk on power. It is a potent combination.

An even worse incident happened in Pakistan:

Continue reading →

Indian food at cafeterias

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We never got Indian food at Microsoft, I’m a little jealous.

Want navrattan korma with raita, chutney and naan? $5.29 at Cisco Systems’ [cafeteria.]

The new Whole Foods in NYC’s Union Square serves hot Indian food. And one of the big selling points of London is that you can get mango lassi and 20 kinds of Indian meals at any Sainsbury’s.

Hey, man. You’ve got your reasons, I’ve got mine.

Sepoy Mutiny revisited

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The Statesman reports that even with two years to go, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is preparing to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Sepoy Mutiny, which he will refer to in a more contemporary fashion:

Mangal Pandey and his men will live again, and not because of Ketan MehtaÂ’s feature film The Rising. The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, has constituted a Group of Ministers to celebrate the Revolt of 1857. Only, the government will regard it as the first war of Indian independence.

That the Centre has started planning the celebrations a couple of years ahead could be borne out of the concern that the Opposition parties, in power in some states, do not steal the thunder and take over the “nationalist” agenda.

Continue reading →

Zakaria shouts out to his homeboys

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I haven’t seen Fareed Zakaria do explicit shout-outs that often, unlike Gurinder Chadha:

India is still a poor third-world country, but if you read [Thomas Friedman’s] book you would assume it is on the verge of becoming a global superstar. (Though as an Indian-American, I read Friedman and whisper the old Jewish saying, ”From your lips to God’s ears.”)

Good for your teeth

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shaheen.jpg

Shaheen Sheik is dropping her album Rock Candy on Sunday, May 1st. Now if I was a proper music reviewer I’d paint a picture for you about what her music sounds like. I’d say something clever like “Norah Jones meets so and so” and I’d use music industry words like “mellifluous.” I am not a Rolling Stones writer though. I’m just a humble blogger. I can only tell you that when she sings my feet tap and my head bobs and I think pleasant thoughts while oblivious to distractions. Besides, I’ve always thought of music the way I think of paintings. I don’t like people putting thoughts in my head of what I should expect to hear when I can simply listen for myself. Go listen to some songs off of her new CD here and decide for yourself.

Her record release party will be on Sunday night at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood for those who might be interested in seeing her perform. I’ll be there of course 🙂

Also see previous post here.

[disclosure: Shaheen is a friend] Continue reading →

Villaraigosa panders to South Asians

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L.A. Mayorial Candidate Antonio Villaraigosa has pandered to pretty much every ethnic minority in L.A. in his bid to unseat incumbent Jim Hahn. Why not South Asians? Indiawest reports:

If elected mayor of Los Angeles in the May 17 election, city councilman Antonio Villaraigosa pledged that, in making Los Angeles more “open” to South Asians…His administration would also seriously consider making appointments from within those communities

In fairness though, you have to excessively pander in L.A. to win. Continue reading →

Irshad Manji has plenty of enemies

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Reza Aslan has been making rounds on the talk show circuit recently to hype his book “No God, but God.”

In No god but God, Aslan challenges the “clash of civilizations” mentality that has distorted our view of Islam and explains this critical faith in all its complexity, beauty, and compassion.

Irshad Manji (born to Indian and Egyptian parents) on the other hand takes a different approach. USA Today reports:

irshadmanji.jpg

Irshad Manji has plenty of enemies among her fellow Muslims. Her critique of Islam is frank and fierce. She defends the invasion of Iraq. She sympathizes with Israel. She’s a lesbian and doesn’t try to hide it.

“Then there is the hair,” she adds, referring to the spiky highlights that sharpen her live-wire manner.

What has brought this Uganda-born Asian-Canadian to prominence is her book, “The Trouble With Islam Today,” just out in paperback in the United States where she has been touring and talking.

As you can imagine, a practicing Muslim with such unique views might be a product of an unusual background.

Continue reading →

Tribal marriage

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The tribal model of marriage:
It’s thoroughly depressing that some Indian girls are still being married off by age 12… suspiciously coincidental with the age of menarche. The obsession with female virginity obscenely reduces half the world to a box of disposable tissues with a faulty seal:

[A]s Thomas Aquinas once noted, the generative power of the Holy Ghost pierced the Virgin’s hymen ‘like a ray of sunshine through a window–leaving it unbroken.’

… Today the NYT reminds us Neanderthal marriage customs are not a uniquely desi shame, they’re tribal:

More than half of Kyrgyzstan’s married women were snatched from the street by their husbands in a custom known as “ala kachuu,” which translates roughly as “grab and run.” … at least a third of Kyrgyzstan’s brides are now taken against their will. Kyrgyz men say they snatch women because it is easier than courtship and cheaper than paying the standard “bride price,” which can be as much as $800 plus a cow.

This in particular is reminiscent of desi village culture:

Once a girl has been kept in the home overnight, her fate is all but sealed: with her virginity suspect and her name disgraced, she will find it difficult to attract any other husband… “Every good marriage begins in tears,” a Kyrgyz saying goes.

It’s always bothered me the way the doli / vidai in a Hindu wedding ends in tears… At its heart it’s a submission ritual: the baraatis have stormed the gates, the bride has been caught, the doli is her broken surrender, carried off in a palanquin to the conqueror’s harem. ‘Dilwale dulhaniya le jayenge’: it’s Alexander entering Babylon, Hulagu entering Baghdad.