We threw out the British 62 years ago on August 15 and internalised colonialism.
Yes, they unfurled flags today. Yes, they sang patriotic songs. Yes, the PM made a speech from a derelict monument created by the Mughals, who we hate the most. Yes, we are so happening. We proudly export talent and kids of Indian origin win Spelling Bee contests and land up among the top few in American Idol. We applaud.
I know there are parties held in the big cities where the martinis will be as frozen as the stares in high storey apartments where the menu will be “specially Indian” as though they are talking about another world. The ‘pilaf’ will be a cute three-coloured one to represent the national flag and women and men in scarves and shawls will throw orange, green and white in faces lightened by chemical peels. Lightening creams are for those who don’t matter. Dogs.
One quarter of the country is suffering from drought. Yeah, baby. India is dry. You will need a lot of time with her.
I can still hear the words, “Kuttey Kaminey” as a celluloid hero thrashes a villain. It is always the muscular hero who utters those words. Weird.
Today, the underbelly is the belly – lean, mean and weaned on crime and cruelty. This is the face we want to hide as Sacred Spaces lecture us on how to give our souls a high-five. Enlightenment is borrowed. Search is not seeking but a website engine. Google moksha. But you can't deny this: Dogs are barking and biting. And man does bite dog because that dog is someone like him. The dirty streets are not only full of faeces but people we call Nobodies.
They aren’t slaves because they are trysting with destinies the hard way. Strays with meanness in their marrows. Films are recognising them. A recent movie is called Kaminey. One review ended hilariously with the line: “Tarantino, take a bow. Brave new Bollywood is here”!
How can we be new and brave when we are asking Them to take a bow for what one of Us has created? Here are the real slaves. Walking, talking, mocking others when they want to be these smart shits. It isn’t pulp fiction. It is real and vicious. It is also independent India. See it before someone from Hollywood decides to seep through the sore pores of my country. Let us use ourselves. A hero who says, "Read my lisp”.
India is free because it can look down on him. He lets us do it because he knows he is needed. We are free. We shoot strays, don’t we?
Kaminey - Dhan Te Nan
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(The image of the flag on top is of the first stamp of independent India)
FV,
ReplyDeletekaminey is indeed one more product of the Bold new India, I saw it on Day One, One it accepts that "heros" can have lisps and stammering .....so Pooja Bhatt with squint was first bold one to make it and Mahesh Bhatt's autobiographical versions were the beginning .Second , it has the "hero" "heroine" risking sex without condom and three , there is a complete song dedicated to AIDS awareness....so path breaking entertainment with little sugar coating ..
btw, the director takes a shot a few more experiments, use of marathi and bangla keeps flavour intact and kicks teh backside of "Maharashtra" for Marathis campaign ....
Way to go ..India ...Vishal Bhardwaj, Anurag Kashyap and Imtiaz Ali are the new Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar....
No. Not the 15th. Your independence day is on the 14th.
ReplyDeleteManish;
ReplyDeleteThanks for the précis review. These are real 'heroes' who keep several machineries well oiled And make us feel good about ourselves. Time we saw other Indias, na?
Arjun:
Thanks for the reminder. We did indeed get independence from a chunk of Punjab, Pathans, Sindhis, Balochis. Are there any others you have in mind? Btw, have you sent a note similar to the one you posted here to Jaswant Singh?
Arjun,
ReplyDeleteI usually dont respond to other people's comments but your comment did make me uncomfortable as an indian and I can call myself a moderate nationalist..If we look at fellow indians and point fingers at them then we must treat everyone equally. How would you respond to the 1984 riots where "your own" people who have 15th as their independence day, killed innocent Sikhs with burning tyres around their neck in front of their own kids and btw ....these sikhs had come to India fleeing partition and shielded "us" in 1965 and 1971 wars...both had IDay on 15th....the danger is not from the folks who have Iday on 14th ..dont a policeman killing a poor man in police torture and his victim celebrate Iday on 15th ...didnt jessica lal and manu Sharma both celebrate this on 15th ...we have more problems inside our billion people household than a few people under a diff flag .....hope you see my prespective on this ...