First We Take Manhattan, Then We Take Berlin

Fatima Bhutto On How Words Can Save The World

Sajjanpur On MTV

By Manuwant Choudhary

Something has changed in India otherwise Sajjanpur will not be on MTV !

The other day I actually watched MTV and the film they were showing `Welcome To Sajjanpur' - a 2008 hit by veteran director Shyam Benegal.

The opening shots of the film show a non-descript village with a voice over saying how this village was originally called `Durjanpur' but India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited it and changed the name of the village from Durjanpur to Sajjanpur. (A village bad people to a village of good people), just as the name of Bombay is changed to Mumbai !

But otherwise nothing has changed in this village.

People are poor and illiterate so much so that the chief protagonist of the film is an unemployed youth - a graduate - who becomes the village letter writer.

And its risky being a letter-writer !

The film's screenplay is by Ashok Mishra and he seems to have drawn his inspiration from TV stories out of Bihar, I could actually relate to many such characters, having actually covered them.

The village goon and elections though violence and threats or `caste' management.

Nothing changes in Sajjanpur, not even election results, for 60 years until eunuchs (who don't have a gender or caste) enter the fray and even win the elections. (this really happened in Bihar)

I thought the film has a message for all Indians.

A love-lorn and somewhat lecherous compounder and the rather longish love affair in the village is rather slow-moving...

But so is life in an Indian village.

The January issue of The Open magazine runs a story `Orphans Of The Great Republic' and the article by Manu Joseph is about the Denim Revolutionaries and he writes that when he worked for Outlook his story on the young generation read, "In a country that was always a revolution short, the winds of change will not come from its modern educated youth. They are passport Indians, just passing through a dirty birthplace."

He also wonders if the new denim revolutionaries are on the streets now because it is no longer attractive to fly away to the West.

I hope not.

NPRs Tiny Desk Concert

Indian Leaders Bizarre Take On Rape

By Manuwant Choudhary

I sometimes wonder if Indians are really normal anymore....just consider the statements on rape of those who lead us in various spheres of our lives from politics to godmen and its just shocking...Have  a look at the samplers....

"The girl did not listen to her inner voice and she boarded the wrong bus...." - Godman Asaram Bapu.

"Remove someone I don't know who or who all they have...Police Commissioner, Deputy police  commissioner..." Shiela Dixit, chief minister of Delhi on the police...

"We must do something about footloose migrants." India's Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.

"I don't know why everyone is quiet about this....these Biharis are rapists.." Raj Thackeray, president, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

"Rapes happen because of economic liberalisation.." Shivanand Tiwari, JD (U) Member of Parliament.

"Rapes happen because of Sex Education." Mumbai Police Commissioner.

"Raping an adult is understandable but raping minors is unforgivable.." - A BJP Member of Parliament from South India.

"Rapist Ko Nark mein bhee jagah nahin milega..." (Rapists will not get a place even in hell) Laloo Prasad Yadav, President, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Member of Parliament.

"Rapes take place in India (the cities) and not bharat (rural india) because of the western clothes women wear in the cities..." - Mohan Bhagwat, RSS Sangh Sanchalak.

"Rape victim kee zindagee maut se bhee battar hai..." (A rape victims life is worse than death) - Sushma Swaraj, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha. (much like her statement that India should get ten Pakistani heads for every head Pakistan chops)

`Rape Could Happen To Me' - Frieda Pinto tells CNN