Friday, July 29, 2005
Travels with Pico Iyer
http://www.rolfpotts.com/writers/iyer.html
http://www.powells.com/authors/iyer.html
Is it any wonder that an aspiring gypsy like me should be a fan of travel writing? Here are links to two very interesting interviews with my favourite contemporary travel - Pico Iyer, whose work is getting increasingly introspective in its treatment of places, if that makes sense? But that is of course the goal of all travel writers - to explore the inner world in moments when it is turned upside down by the external?
One of my favorites is a little known Bengali writer called Syed Mujtaba Ali. A man of incredible erudition, whose writing weaved in his knowledge of Sanskrit, Farsi, German and Bengali (folk) literature, with incredible humour. He was a doctor who trained in germany in the early 1940s and married a German woman. He came back and was a physician in Royal court of Afghanistan. He also lectured at the medical school there and writes about his female students, in a matter of fact manner! Who would have thunk? His stories about Germany are compelling too. One of the truly unique voices in Bengali literature.
And Jan Morris, of course.... uh... I think I will post about one author at a time. Its 5 p.m on a Friday afternoon and the husband man is calling. He gets afternoons off on Fridays in the summer. Lucky suit!!!
No fair, I want to be a client too!
Enjoy!
http://www.powells.com/authors/iyer.html
Is it any wonder that an aspiring gypsy like me should be a fan of travel writing? Here are links to two very interesting interviews with my favourite contemporary travel - Pico Iyer, whose work is getting increasingly introspective in its treatment of places, if that makes sense? But that is of course the goal of all travel writers - to explore the inner world in moments when it is turned upside down by the external?
One of my favorites is a little known Bengali writer called Syed Mujtaba Ali. A man of incredible erudition, whose writing weaved in his knowledge of Sanskrit, Farsi, German and Bengali (folk) literature, with incredible humour. He was a doctor who trained in germany in the early 1940s and married a German woman. He came back and was a physician in Royal court of Afghanistan. He also lectured at the medical school there and writes about his female students, in a matter of fact manner! Who would have thunk? His stories about Germany are compelling too. One of the truly unique voices in Bengali literature.
And Jan Morris, of course.... uh... I think I will post about one author at a time. Its 5 p.m on a Friday afternoon and the husband man is calling. He gets afternoons off on Fridays in the summer. Lucky suit!!!
No fair, I want to be a client too!
Enjoy!
Friday, July 08, 2005
Identities and emotions
I was reading an interesting take on the old debate in another semi - Indian blog. The blogger Buchu had written emotionally about the London bombings and a visitor commented, basically "37 dead - no big deal, think of the hundreds who die every so often in India". Buchu replied with passion and criticised the common cynical and glib Indian habit of dismmissing most things or reading a selfish motive into them http://baghaescup.blogspot.com/ I agree with her whole heartedly - but it did bring up a few nagging quetions.
Why does the deaths in the West seem more shocking? Why is the idea of western tourists dying on holiday more of a tragedy , to me , than say that of the hundreds who die of floods and accidents and hunger in India. And in this context isn't the no big deal response a more appropriate response to the death of foreigners? Actually Indian tragedy is certainly not less of a tragedy but it is less of a news. Its just that to Indians the vast group of fellow Indians are not "real". "They are not us". Hence their suffering has no meaning for us. Which is why the India Shining campaign appealed so much - the BJP would have won only "we" don't vote. That would mean acting, doing something based on our convictions , whoever heard of such a thing!
I think it is not that Westerners are more precious in my mind... its just that I am inured to Indian deaths. Its a slim difference but is there. And I am ashamed. I remember many years ago discussing post revolution Poland with a Polish friend. And she described how things are harder with democracy. How the old couple who were her neighbours went through garbage at night looking for food, something that never happened when the communists were in power. She herself was young and like me an expat enjoying the fruits of globalisation. And I remember empathising whole heartedly, truly how sad, I said and then catching myself - what about the street kids at home? Its not that I don't feel terrible when I see them, but do I have right to feel sad about Polish poverty?
And I do feel self conscious empathising with pain or expressing it - because I know the Westerner also probably thinks its inappropriate coming from me. I remember, living in Greece and there it is quite common to poison stray cats and dogs . Coming as I do from a Calcutta family with 13 cats - the beraal baari in the paara - we used to wake up and find kittens left at our door - I was shocked when my Brit boss told me that her pet cat had been accidentally poisoned. And I spontaneously went - oh , how can they do such a terrible thing?!!! And she, blue stocking Thatcher clone raised her thin eyebrows and looked at me a little quizzically. I shut up immediately. How appropriate is it for an Indian to talk about cruelty to animals when we as a society are cruel and callous towards our children on the streets?
Why does the deaths in the West seem more shocking? Why is the idea of western tourists dying on holiday more of a tragedy , to me , than say that of the hundreds who die of floods and accidents and hunger in India. And in this context isn't the no big deal response a more appropriate response to the death of foreigners? Actually Indian tragedy is certainly not less of a tragedy but it is less of a news. Its just that to Indians the vast group of fellow Indians are not "real". "They are not us". Hence their suffering has no meaning for us. Which is why the India Shining campaign appealed so much - the BJP would have won only "we" don't vote. That would mean acting, doing something based on our convictions , whoever heard of such a thing!
I think it is not that Westerners are more precious in my mind... its just that I am inured to Indian deaths. Its a slim difference but is there. And I am ashamed. I remember many years ago discussing post revolution Poland with a Polish friend. And she described how things are harder with democracy. How the old couple who were her neighbours went through garbage at night looking for food, something that never happened when the communists were in power. She herself was young and like me an expat enjoying the fruits of globalisation. And I remember empathising whole heartedly, truly how sad, I said and then catching myself - what about the street kids at home? Its not that I don't feel terrible when I see them, but do I have right to feel sad about Polish poverty?
And I do feel self conscious empathising with pain or expressing it - because I know the Westerner also probably thinks its inappropriate coming from me. I remember, living in Greece and there it is quite common to poison stray cats and dogs . Coming as I do from a Calcutta family with 13 cats - the beraal baari in the paara - we used to wake up and find kittens left at our door - I was shocked when my Brit boss told me that her pet cat had been accidentally poisoned. And I spontaneously went - oh , how can they do such a terrible thing?!!! And she, blue stocking Thatcher clone raised her thin eyebrows and looked at me a little quizzically. I shut up immediately. How appropriate is it for an Indian to talk about cruelty to animals when we as a society are cruel and callous towards our children on the streets?
London burning...
Came bleary eyed to office yesterday after a late night at the jazz festival. Saw the "we are alright lets work harder and show 'em" e -mail from the big man in London and said WTF?! and checked CNN. Then wrote to a few friends there to check they were alright (they are) and worked harder.
Its sad how much in our stride we take things now. The thing about 9/11, I was in Cairo then, was they rude shock of it. This is not supposed to happen - there. Its a loss of innocence on a big scale and the response to London , in London is part British resolve and part we have been there seen this before.
I love London. It was the first Western place I travelled to on a holiday and still remember how exhilerating it was. I was young and naive then and on my own. And for the first time felt completely comfortable and unself conscious being on my own in a public place. In a way I could not imagine before. In India( and most other places) you can't but be self conscious and vigilant at all times. So much so you are not aware of it. In southern Europe you are aware of being the outsider and mostly unwelcome. London was happy and easy going and friendly in a way I had not imagined. I could be ananymous and loved being cheerfully ignored as everyone was doing their thing. I remember reaching at 9 and taking the metro with a relative, who took me out at Trafalgar and by then it was 12, and there was a huge party going as the Brazillians had won of the World Cup matches and there were bands and everyone was doing the Samba - drunk. I had the best Shawerma sandwiches and Coke ever and fell in love with the city. I am embarrassed to admit this I loved the touristy-est places, the crowds of young people just hanging out.
It was a great summer.
And I felt free in a way I have never felt before. For the first time I was happy to just be.
I have been back many times since and London always seemed cool and truly cosmopolitan. New York is too cold, too busy. Paris is too beautiful and introverted. Rome is provincial when not busy being a museaum. And I haven't been to Amsterdam, the husband man says the grass is great and people are mellow.
Its sad how much in our stride we take things now. The thing about 9/11, I was in Cairo then, was they rude shock of it. This is not supposed to happen - there. Its a loss of innocence on a big scale and the response to London , in London is part British resolve and part we have been there seen this before.
I love London. It was the first Western place I travelled to on a holiday and still remember how exhilerating it was. I was young and naive then and on my own. And for the first time felt completely comfortable and unself conscious being on my own in a public place. In a way I could not imagine before. In India( and most other places) you can't but be self conscious and vigilant at all times. So much so you are not aware of it. In southern Europe you are aware of being the outsider and mostly unwelcome. London was happy and easy going and friendly in a way I had not imagined. I could be ananymous and loved being cheerfully ignored as everyone was doing their thing. I remember reaching at 9 and taking the metro with a relative, who took me out at Trafalgar and by then it was 12, and there was a huge party going as the Brazillians had won of the World Cup matches and there were bands and everyone was doing the Samba - drunk. I had the best Shawerma sandwiches and Coke ever and fell in love with the city. I am embarrassed to admit this I loved the touristy-est places, the crowds of young people just hanging out.
It was a great summer.
And I felt free in a way I have never felt before. For the first time I was happy to just be.
I have been back many times since and London always seemed cool and truly cosmopolitan. New York is too cold, too busy. Paris is too beautiful and introverted. Rome is provincial when not busy being a museaum. And I haven't been to Amsterdam, the husband man says the grass is great and people are mellow.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Let's have some fun
