I had written about textbooks being changed in India, and how the Hindutva folks don’t like the proposed changes. Now they can take comfort, all they need to do is go to California.

The history and social science textbooks for grades 6-8 have sections on India. The school board has accepted most of the changes proposed by the saffron brigade. The changes make for interesting reading. Predictably the text book seems to full of the usual cow-worshipping, pantheistic, caste-ridden crap, and of-course the proposed changes disfavor the Aryan invasion theory, sweep under the rug the uncomfortable facts about the caste system or status of women.

I am as sick of googly-eyed Westerners and their salacious interest in inequalities, Indian style, and the Hindutva idiots who see insult and injury under every stone.

There is going to be a hearing on the matter on Dec. 2nd. A letter signed by various scholars has been going around about this issue.

The last few weeks have been full of getting things ready for the production. I have been spending all my time shopping, a stressful activity in itself, testing out equipment and exchanging faulty pieces of gear. In the midst of all this we’ve been clearing out things from our storage space, so life has pretty much been a dust-filled frenzy.

Yesterday when we visited our storage space, tired and streaked with dirt, on the elevator to the basement, the elevator man suddenly announced, “I had a dream. It was snowing. But it was only snowing on me. Everywhere I walked, the snow would follow me.” Then Kerim said, “Yeah, some days are like that.” This Thanksgiving I am thankful to be reminded that Bunuel wasn’t making stuff up.

An interesting bit of news from The Hindu, about chapters on Babri Masjid and Godhra in the standard XII Political Science textbooks, among other things:

The two events will be discussed under Chapter X titled “Recent Issues and Challenges” that will look at various issues including challenges and responses to globalisation, the new economic policy of the Government and opposition to it, rise of other backward classes in North Indian politics, and Dalit politics in the electoral and non-electoral arena.

Textbooks, especially History textbooks, are a hugely politically contentious subject in India. When I was in school, we mostly had the conservative historian RC Majumdar’s version of history, then things changed with the rise of the BJP (which thankfully, I escaped) and the tug of war continues, the Hindutva brigade is already making noises about these changes.

The changes described above seem a lot more interesting than what we had to study in school. Interestingly, its how to teach Political Science and History that become political issues, and not Creationism, or “intelligent design” like in the US. India is just not as religious or religious in the same way as the US.

We are very pleased to announce that Kurt Engfehr has agreed to be an advisor on the film. Kurt was co-producer and editor on both Bowling For Columbine and Fahrenheit 911. Not only did those two films win an Oscar and a Golden Palm, but Kurt’s editing work on Columbine also earned him the American Cinema Editors’ Eddie award. His support and advice means a lot to us. His critical eye will help us keep Hooch And Hamlet In Chharanagar clear, honest, and engaging.

Almost Half Way There!

We’ve raised $6,816 so far! Thank you everyone. That puts us about a grand shy of the half way mark as we move towards our $15,000 budget. If you haven’t given yet, we’ve made it even easier to donate. You can now make a secure, tax-deductible, donation with your credit card online! ($20 min.)

Technorati Tags: dnt, Film, hooch and hamlet, India

Sonia Faleiro of Tehelka has written a very good essay on Chharanagar, where we are quoted and our film project gets a plug! You can read the article on her blog. If you get hold of the print edition, the lead photo is by Kerim.

Religious conversion has managed to become a highly charged issue in India. What with missionary activity being closely related with colonialism, and the more recent Hindutva activity around attacking missionaries, and “re-converting” Tribals. In the midst of all this the Bnei Menashe community in Mizoram and Manipur finds itself in an odd position.

First, a brief history of the community from Wikipedia. The Bnei Menashe claim to have been expelled from Northern Israel by the Assyrians 2700 years ago. They wandered along the silk route, finally settling in Northeastern India. Christian missionaries converted them in the 19th century, and it was only in 1951, when a pastor from the community had a series of visions, that they realized that their oral history and religious practices were Jewish. And indeed there is some evidence from population genetics that points to ancestors in the Levant, through strands of DNA carried by the women-folk of the community.

It took them twenty five years before the Israeli government would accept their claims of being one of the lost ten tribes of Israel. After being recognized, they were allowed to migrate to Israel and settled in the Occupied Territories (where else?). In order to migrate they need to be accepted as Jewish and have to undergo a conversion ritual, a requirement fulfilled by visiting Rabbis. However, the Indian government frowns on conversions. The BBC reports:

“The Indian authorities, through official channels, told us they do not view positively initiated efforts at conversions to other religions,” Israeli foreign ministry spokesman, Mark Regev, said.

The Israeli government is taking the complaint very seriously, since India buys a sizable amount of arms from the Israelis.

This convoluted story leaves me with several questions. First, I thought Judaism was similar to Hinduism in the sense that you were born into the religion and couldn’t really convert. Second, if these people claim to be Jewish, then why would they need to be converted again? I guess it just proves religious laws can be made to bend whichever way you want. Whether its the government of Israel or India, the Hindutva folks or Jewish orthodox and not so orthodox groups.

Tarun Jain has written an article for India Together on Budhan Theatre and our film project, Hooch and Hamlet in Chharanagar. Check it out!

Check out Micropixie’s music from her debut album, “Alice in Stevie Wonderland.” I normally don’t like most electronic music, but I enjoyed Micropixie’s music and lyrics.

Micropixie is Ugandan Indian, born and brought up in London, and transplanted to San Francisco via Paris. You can listen to samples of her music on this web-site.

She is performing in NYC on:

Tuesday, November 15th
7 – 11 PM * FREE
Kush Lounge
191 Chrystie Street (Lower East Side)

Friday, November 18th
10.30pm * FREE
Avaaz: a global noiz system
Mo Pitkin’s NYC (upstairs)
34 Avenue A @ 3rd Street

After a back-breakingly relentless schedule, I was finally able to get eight hours of sleep and go to the movies. I got to see the new Wallace and Gromit movie and Cronenberg’s A History of Violence. Both good choices for someone in need of good movie experiences.

I wonder if Wallace and Gromit is particularly liked by people who were brought up on P.G. Wodehouse, and therefore find comfort in silly British aristocrats. Its hard to admit to finding comfort in those English-y certainties, considering present day England is probably nothing like that, and God knows if that Englishiness actually existed in the first place, and if the “Non-English Subjects of the Queen” are even allowed to partake in the pleasure of ideal Britishness. Oh well, I suppose the Colonial encounter continues to be complicated.

The Cronenberg film was something else entirely. Pleasurable and appalling for quite different reasons. If you enjoy being told how the narrative is being constructed, even as you are watching it, this is definitely the film. Not to mention the joys of movie violence, the film doesn’t have “History” in its title for nothing.

A charming story from the BBC about a village in Kerala called Moscow, where people named Lenin, Stalin, Pushkin etc are meeting to talk about their names. It seems Stalin and Krushchev have lost their popularity as names, but Lenin is still going strong. Before you conclude that this is just a Keralite communist eccentricity, consider the case of the babies who were named Dhamaka Singh or Visphote Singh in Rajasthan, after India tested its nuclear missile. Or the unfortunate pet-names Bengali babies often seem to get- Poltu, Motu, Bhondu, I could go on.