(published on 29th August 2008 in www.inbandra.in )
DECEMBER 17, 2007
A man and a woman
are one
Bandra is less.
FEB 20, 2008
I know noble accents
and also what they mean.
But I know, too,
that Bandra is butchered
by what I know.
APRIL 18, 2008
Wind at the Bandstand promenade filled me
with brittle fate.
beyond it the water moved adding nothing
and everything.
JUNE 2, 2008
When the houses at Pereirawadi came down
it marked the edge
of the last circle.
JUNE 22, 2008
I do not know what to
believe the imperative of
survival or the inevitability
of gentrification the
demolition or just after.
JULY 14, 2008
Traffic snarl at Hill Road
the only moving thing
is the muddy water in the pothole.
JULY 18, 2008
Afternoon all evening
It no longer rained
The street child at Bandra station waited
In the mud.
AUG 15, 2008
The cobbler at Ambedkar road, flag in hand
basked in the sunshine
The sunshine went up for sale.
DEC 19, 2008
I was of one mind
like the mind
who knows the use of Bandra
Friday, December 19, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Terror Struck
The Oxford dictionary meaning of terror is extreme fear or the use of terror to intimidate people. Terror can hence be a state of mind and the means used to bring about that state of mind. Mumbai has suffered many instances of terror in the past few years.
What differentiates this attack, which is being referred to as India’s 9/11, from the previous ones was the process of terror, the place and people involved. The people were newsworthy, the location premium and the process prolonged.
‘Enough is enough,’ reflects the tipping point. People will not stand for political rhetoric, ineptitude, inaction and failure any longer. They want the political class to act or quit. Act against the perpetrators and improve intelligence and security mechanisms for the nation.
So at the cost of raining on the enough parade, let me offer my reasons for scepticism:
The importance of reason
When emotions run high, there is need for retribution. Post 9/11 American policy was crafted and then justified based on emotion at the time. The Iraq war and its consequences should remind us however, that reason has its place. After the emotions had ebbed the sunshine had gone up for sale. Indian diplomatic next steps should be crafted after reasoned thought and cannot be hijacked by public opinion.
The need to broaden our debate on terror
Terror viewed in terms of guns limits our debate to protecting our borders in order to secure ourselves. Those borders can shift depending on what is under attack-it can be the nation, the city, the community or our homes. We are intimidated by what can harm us, so we endlessly search for better ways to be secure. We live with the fear that the walls we build can be scaled, so we build better walls. Gated communities, surveillance cameras, sniffer dogs and bomb squads stand testimony to an increase in our collective paranoia. When is enough, enough?
As a nation we are almost at the bottom of the heap on most social indicators. We are impoverished. However, we fear terror from guns not poverty since poverty compromises only the quality of life not life itself. Moreover poverty compromises the lives of others not our lives.
Let us broaden our debate on terror and be terrified by poverty too. Let us be reasonable and inclusive. Only then can we truly secure our nation.
What differentiates this attack, which is being referred to as India’s 9/11, from the previous ones was the process of terror, the place and people involved. The people were newsworthy, the location premium and the process prolonged.
‘Enough is enough,’ reflects the tipping point. People will not stand for political rhetoric, ineptitude, inaction and failure any longer. They want the political class to act or quit. Act against the perpetrators and improve intelligence and security mechanisms for the nation.
So at the cost of raining on the enough parade, let me offer my reasons for scepticism:
The importance of reason
When emotions run high, there is need for retribution. Post 9/11 American policy was crafted and then justified based on emotion at the time. The Iraq war and its consequences should remind us however, that reason has its place. After the emotions had ebbed the sunshine had gone up for sale. Indian diplomatic next steps should be crafted after reasoned thought and cannot be hijacked by public opinion.
The need to broaden our debate on terror
Terror viewed in terms of guns limits our debate to protecting our borders in order to secure ourselves. Those borders can shift depending on what is under attack-it can be the nation, the city, the community or our homes. We are intimidated by what can harm us, so we endlessly search for better ways to be secure. We live with the fear that the walls we build can be scaled, so we build better walls. Gated communities, surveillance cameras, sniffer dogs and bomb squads stand testimony to an increase in our collective paranoia. When is enough, enough?
As a nation we are almost at the bottom of the heap on most social indicators. We are impoverished. However, we fear terror from guns not poverty since poverty compromises only the quality of life not life itself. Moreover poverty compromises the lives of others not our lives.
Let us broaden our debate on terror and be terrified by poverty too. Let us be reasonable and inclusive. Only then can we truly secure our nation.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
History in the present
What is history? It is reading the past not the present.
The United States of America changed all that on November 5, 2008. The inherently progressive imagination of the founding fathers of the United States found sublime expression. Nationhood found present expression. No tired or nostalgic reading of the past but an empowered and inclusive writing of future possibilities.
Inclusiveness is a choice- Barack Obama chose to rise beyond race and spoke for the people of the nation rather than of particular people. The people legitimized that choice. History can only be created from such a process.
Perhaps that is why the history of India stops with our independence in 1947. We celebrate that moment and simultaneously lament the partition that followed-nationhood with a price. We constantly read our identity into that moment and craft our present by reliving or revising that past. We are past imperfect.
That is why we shed a tear on November 5, 2008. Not because we were a part of history but because we were a part of someone else’s history. We witnessed the creation of history that we did not help write. As Indians, perhaps we never will.
The United States of America changed all that on November 5, 2008. The inherently progressive imagination of the founding fathers of the United States found sublime expression. Nationhood found present expression. No tired or nostalgic reading of the past but an empowered and inclusive writing of future possibilities.
Inclusiveness is a choice- Barack Obama chose to rise beyond race and spoke for the people of the nation rather than of particular people. The people legitimized that choice. History can only be created from such a process.
Perhaps that is why the history of India stops with our independence in 1947. We celebrate that moment and simultaneously lament the partition that followed-nationhood with a price. We constantly read our identity into that moment and craft our present by reliving or revising that past. We are past imperfect.
That is why we shed a tear on November 5, 2008. Not because we were a part of history but because we were a part of someone else’s history. We witnessed the creation of history that we did not help write. As Indians, perhaps we never will.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Black is beautiful
It is all around, in papers, on television, in conversations, in the shrinks office-the meltdown. Meltdown of confidence in money.
Not in Obama. He promises change. Black is beautiful.
Not in Obama. He promises change. Black is beautiful.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Let's sweat it out
An article on late bloomers in the New Yorker by Malcolm Gladwell got me thinking. Most of the times my mind is mush and it takes a lot to get me engrossed in a written piece. So what really got my attention? That genius is a product of discipline, perseverance and tremendous hard work, talent notwithstanding.
I have flirted with genius rather than have a serious affair. Brilliance be it music, stories, poems, films has meant smart non work rather than hard work. I move from one moment of genius to another consuming rather than examining it. What goes behind is seldom on my mind.
That’s how a capitalist ethos works, right? It is about the now- being in the moment, consuming and gratifying instantly. It is not about the process-what’s behind or who is behind.
No sweat.
Sweat now pervaded my body reminding me of the saying genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. I felt better after all a little inspiration is not much to ask for and sweating is natural. So the financial meltdown can’t be a bad thing; it will yield better times with a little inspiration from the state.
Sweat it out.
I have flirted with genius rather than have a serious affair. Brilliance be it music, stories, poems, films has meant smart non work rather than hard work. I move from one moment of genius to another consuming rather than examining it. What goes behind is seldom on my mind.
That’s how a capitalist ethos works, right? It is about the now- being in the moment, consuming and gratifying instantly. It is not about the process-what’s behind or who is behind.
No sweat.
Sweat now pervaded my body reminding me of the saying genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. I felt better after all a little inspiration is not much to ask for and sweating is natural. So the financial meltdown can’t be a bad thing; it will yield better times with a little inspiration from the state.
Sweat it out.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Popcorn Nation
The other day, I stood up for the national anthem just before the movie. However, this time I was a little irritated. I had caramel popcorn in my right hand and coke in my left. Now what was I supposed to do? Stop eating? Fold my hands with reverence? Better still, genuflect? These were my thoughts as the anthem played on; I did not hear a single word.
As I sat down, however, the notion that we stand up for a national anthem in an entertainment space, struck me as ridiculous. In past instances, I chose to remain seated on the odd occasion; not without consequence. I have had a gentleman question my patriotism. It made me wonder then-is patriotism over rated or overdue. As I came out of that reverie, five minutes of 'A Wednesday' had gone by.
Now that I have stepped out of the theatre, I want to know-what is the national anthem really doing in cinema theatres? I want to know only so that I can help myself understand the significance of the anthem and be a disciplined citizen. Or else my thoughts at the movies would be something like this-will the movie disappoint, shucks I should not have fought with..., what will I eat during intermission.
So why the nation? I will hazard a few guesses.
There is no nation to begin with-in a globalizing world, India needs to be constructed rather than assumed. As people consume and excrete as global citizens, national boundaries matter much less.
As Gujarat offers the best deal to bag the nano, the notion of a centralized state is just that. Gujarat, the industrial mecca does not speak for India-it is the only 'problem free' state where business decisions are taken expediently. Let's forget about what happened to the Gujarati Muslims in 2002, after all the Nanavati report has let Modi go scott free. What has sound economics got to do with politics anyway? Let's celebrate Modi's Gujarat, or should I say Gujarat's Modi.
As people desecrate in the name of religion, the attempt is to construct a nation around a single identity. Kashmir, Orissa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, UP, to name a few-contestation. Now a contested nation is no nation at all, is it?
So where can we build the nation? Inside. We can consume a popcorn nation inside a benign air conditioned movie theatre as the contestation escalates outside. Perfect. Don't be surprised the next time you need to demonstrate your patriotism every time you want your cup of cappucino at the cafe.
Don't get irritated, don't question-just chill chill, just chill. Because you belong.
As I sat down, however, the notion that we stand up for a national anthem in an entertainment space, struck me as ridiculous. In past instances, I chose to remain seated on the odd occasion; not without consequence. I have had a gentleman question my patriotism. It made me wonder then-is patriotism over rated or overdue. As I came out of that reverie, five minutes of 'A Wednesday' had gone by.
Now that I have stepped out of the theatre, I want to know-what is the national anthem really doing in cinema theatres? I want to know only so that I can help myself understand the significance of the anthem and be a disciplined citizen. Or else my thoughts at the movies would be something like this-will the movie disappoint, shucks I should not have fought with..., what will I eat during intermission.
So why the nation? I will hazard a few guesses.
There is no nation to begin with-in a globalizing world, India needs to be constructed rather than assumed. As people consume and excrete as global citizens, national boundaries matter much less.
As Gujarat offers the best deal to bag the nano, the notion of a centralized state is just that. Gujarat, the industrial mecca does not speak for India-it is the only 'problem free' state where business decisions are taken expediently. Let's forget about what happened to the Gujarati Muslims in 2002, after all the Nanavati report has let Modi go scott free. What has sound economics got to do with politics anyway? Let's celebrate Modi's Gujarat, or should I say Gujarat's Modi.
As people desecrate in the name of religion, the attempt is to construct a nation around a single identity. Kashmir, Orissa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, UP, to name a few-contestation. Now a contested nation is no nation at all, is it?
So where can we build the nation? Inside. We can consume a popcorn nation inside a benign air conditioned movie theatre as the contestation escalates outside. Perfect. Don't be surprised the next time you need to demonstrate your patriotism every time you want your cup of cappucino at the cafe.
Don't get irritated, don't question-just chill chill, just chill. Because you belong.
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