Aeshwaryam 2018Youth Festival MKBU

‘Art is not what we see, but what we make others to see’ and Youth festival is such a platform where youngster can get chance to present themselves. And Maharajakrishn Kumar Sinhji University of Bhavnagar organized three days beautiful ‘Aeshwaryam’ youth festival. Aeshwaryam name itself suggests the beauty and joy art in life. Takshashila college  of Bhavnagar hosts the three days festival very well. Under this festival various competition took place. As my Teacher told to watch  every event with consciousness of learning, and here try to reflect this process of learning or thinking while watching. I try to attend many event  and got something new about art.

1.On the( 26-10-18)first day, Firstly I attended  સ્વરચિત કાવ્યપઠન which was at Shri Krushnlal Shridharinj SahityManch at Gujrati Department MKBU. Anchored by Himal Pandya Sir and then by Harish Mahuvakavar sir. There were many participants and they write and recite also  well. Subject of their poems was…
• Significance of friendship
• Welcome Diwali
• Story of pen
• Na vrsela vrsad nu git
• Vany Kanya na Sanvedno
• Jivan Anjali thajo
Common theme in many poems was about Significance of Friendship and as Judge Firdoz Dekhaiya told that it’s all about immature poems and real beauty is in this. Here I’m putting some photographs of poems of that day

Judges and Anchour of the event

2.Second, Competition  I have attended was Sugam Git and there were many participent who sung beautiful song . Basically Songs in Gujrati language and  songs and ghazals of Ramesh Parekh and Mahamnad Daikheya were most popular.

3.Third competition I have attended was Lok Nutrya and it was amazing. Gujrati Falk Dance ‘Garba’ is popular all among the  world and Bhavnagaris whose known as Kalapremi, they are very well in Garba and I feel that on many performance of that day.


2nd day

4. I have participated in Essay Writing competition. There were six on the spot given topic..
1.Imprtance of Democracy
2. Importance of Media
3.Media: regressive or progressive?
4. Terrorism an unsolved question
And two others… I have done good and try to write on Democracy. I justify my views with the help of examples of Mahabharata to current scenario.

5.One act play
'Act is not what you see, but what you make others to see.' 
This is very exiting and interesting competition at Kiritsinhji Gohil Natymanch in Atal Auditorium MKBU. I have watched four one act play there.

1.sikkani triji baju
This one act play deal with very sensitive topic of Third Gender in our society. What about their existence and how difficult for them to survive in this rigid sciety.

2.Muje fakr hai
This play deal with Nationalism or patriotism. How terrorism rise in one’s mind and increase problems in society. Question of Jammu was presented with the main plot. There is great debate in Should I follow terrorism or Should I Follow path of virtue and peace. That we can connect with good angel and bad angel of Christopher Marlow’s play Doctor Faustus. In the play famous dialogue repeated that…’Confusion hai’ and at last that confusion  removed and  triumph of peace resulted into two happy family.

3 Papan vchche dariyo
This play’s used flashback technique in narration and there were many violence and revenge. Play was all about one family of sea voyagers and their son Arjan with his boat Kuber. What I find as major theme in this is Revenge, Love for sea, Violence, love, marriage, hope.

6.Orchestra
Sixth competition which was at Main stage  ‘Kala guru Dharmashibhai Shah Manch’ at amphi theatre. In this event I want to write just one line is that I got  Aesthetic delight, I forget all worries and completely I was feeling the music only.


7.Duha chand
It was also an interesting event. In this I come to know about Ghanshyam bhai kavi a great gujrati Falk singer, another one is Dhardip Sinh an amazing singer of Duha and chhand.

3rd day

Paintings, Rangoli, collage, poster making, clay modeling and Installation; ending session afternoon.
All this art of peace majorly connected with contemporary issuee happens in society like #MeToo movement, use of media, harm and benifit of wts app, facebook and otthers application.

Rangoli

Oil Painting

Clay Modeling 

This was an amazing compitition. I found this is very tuff to creat model from clay and give a beautiful shape it's not an every one's cup of tea! 

Poster making

Installation is the new added compitition from last year and world wide famous compitition for best creative outcomes. In this youth festival there were also few creative installation. Which was connected with theme of 'Swatch Bharat Swasth Bharat' means on Cleanliness and 'SarvDharm Sambhav'. 

Cartooning is another interesting compitition where we can see the creativity through colors. Cartoons were connected with current affairs like #MeToo  movements and politics.

At last, There were prize distribution ceremony. In this our department also won prizes in compitiin like western group and solo song, rangoli etc., Group Photograph of youth festival team of Department of English MKBU.

Task on Waiting for Godot

This blog is part of my academic activity. To see task click here.

Waiting for Godot, tragicomedy in two acts by Irish writer Samuel Beckett, published in 1952 in French as En attendant Godot and first produced in 1953. Waiting for Godotwas a true innovation in drama and the Theatre of the Absurd’s first theatrical success.
(Taken from Britanica)

(1) What connection do you see in the setting (“A country road. A tree. Evening.”) of the play and these paintings? 
Setting of the play is A country Road and tree.  There is relics of fallen buildings. It shows the effect of world war, And presence of tree stand as presence of nature. Evening or fallen day is showing tragic element of life as Darkness take place of light same comedy turns into tragedy,
And the connection between the painting by Caspar David Friedrich and the play is Longings. A country road suggest a Hope of someone coming. A Tree suggest liveliness or Birth. Evening suggest Death and despair of desire. Loss of something. So thus the painting and play swinging  in between hope and despair

(2) The tree is the only important ‘thing’ in the setting. What is the importance of tree in both acts? Why does Beckett grow a few leaves in Act II on the barren tree - The tree has four or five leaves - ? 
Yes, The tree is the only important thing in the setting. Tree suggest the presence of nature in the ruined setting. In act l  Hopelessness presented through it because tree without leaf is like life without breathe. But, in act II there is few leaves grows on barren tree it shows the hope of rebirth. We can not exactly clarify reason that why Becket grow a few leaves  on the barren tree, but May be he wants to show the hope. ‘Constant Waiting and yet nothing happens’ this condition of characters can lead them to disheartenment but their spiritual or inner grow is shown through leaves on barren tree.


(3) In both Acts, evening falls into night and moon rises. How would you like to interpret this ‘coming of night and moon’ when actually they are waiting for Godot? The director feels the setting with some debris. Can you read any meaning in the contours of debris in the setting of the play?
It is open to interpret that How we see the setting. We often quotes that ‘When it rains we look for rainbow and when it’s dark we look for stars’ It means we always in search of better. This monotony of living, breathing like Sisyphus. We take the Sun on shoulder at morning and at night put it there. This vicious circle of life goes on.  As evening falls into night and moon rises is suggest that another day will come, tomorrow never dies and something must happen.

And as I write above the Debris is the symbol of effect of world war. That fallen structures may be skyscrapers in past but today it is no more than debris. This idea connect the philosophy of life that… one day everything will destroy, we will melt with Mitti and nothing remains after death.

4) The play begins with the dialogue “Nothing to be done”. How does the theme of ‘nothingness’ recurs in the play?
Play does not have hallucinatory images of life. It begins with the dialogue “Nothing to be done”, and so many times it repeats. Dialogue like..
“let us contradict each other
This is gamic of each other
Quest of question 
Stop talk about nature”
This all conversation, exercise, variety of killing time is presented but nothing happens till end. This way nothingness recurs in the play.

5) Do you agree: “The play (Waiting for Godot), we agreed, was a positive play, not negative, not pessimistic. As I saw it, with my blood and skin and eyes, the philosophy is: 'No matter what— atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, anything—life goes on. You can kill yourself, but you can't kill life." (E.G. Marshal who played Vladimir in original Broadway production 1950s)?
Yes, I completely agree with this Idea.

6) How are the props like hat and boots used in the play? What is the symbolical significance of these props?
As per my thinking Hat is symbol of head from which thought is comings and boot is symbol if leg which shows strength of standing. Here in the play Vladimir’s action suggest it that how he paining from thinking and Estragon is free from this. Vladimir's action shows his agony in inner struggle.

VLADIMIR:
Sometimes I feel it coming all the same. Then I go all queer. (He takes
of his hat, peers inside it, feels about inside it, shakes it, puts it on again.) How shall I say? Relieved and at the same time. (he searches for the word) . . . appalled. (With emphasis.)
AP-PALLED. (He takes of his hat again, peers inside it.) Funny. (He knocks on the crown as though to dislodge a foreign body, peers into it again, puts it onagain.) Nothing to be done. (Estragon with a supreme ef ort succeeds in
pulling of his boot. He peers inside it, feels about inside it, turns it upside down, shakes it, looks on the ground to see if anything has fallen out, finds nothing, feels inside it again,
staring sightlessly before him.) Well? 
(Boots = earth, body, roots. Hat = mind, rational side of life. Meaninglessness of both to reach to) 

7)Do you think that the obedience of Lucky is extremely irritating and nauseatic? Even when the master Pozzo is blind, he obediently hands the whip in his hand. Do you think that such a capacity of slavishness is unbelievable?
Yes, I think that the obedience of Lucky is extremely irritating and nauseatic. There is many examples in literature like in Gujrati there is one couplet that આંધળો સસરોને સરંગટ વહુ એમ કથા સાંભળવા ચાલયા સહુ, Lucky’s condition is like same. In a way many religious institution is stand for Pozzo and so called Bhaktas are lucky. 

(8) Who according to you is Godot? God? An object of desire? Death? Goal? Success? Or  . . .
“The subject of the play is not Godot but ‘Waiting’” (Esslin, A Search for the Self). Do you agree? How can you justify your answer?
According to me Desire of object is Godot. Without desire no existence of Human. We keep on Waiting for fulfillment of our desire. We leaping one to another situation and trying to find fruit of our karma. And between that necessity and absurdity keeps on changing. Vicious circle of life moves on and in darkness we wait for light and in light we wait for spark. Thus, The subject of play is not Godot but Waiting.

(9) Do you think that plays like this can better be ‘read’ than ‘viewed’ as it requires a lot of thinking on the part of readers, while viewing, the torrent of dialogues does not give ample time and space to ‘think’? Or is it that the audio-visuals help in better understanding of the play?
Yes I think the play like this can be better understandable if it will be read first than viewed. Reading of the play helps to understand the things in the better way. If we first view play without reading we can see only which director can see. We can’t escape from directors vision but while reading we are free to imagine in our way. 

Secondly, I didn’t think that only audio visuals help in better understanding of the play because dialogue keeps going on with it rhythm and sometime swiftly and goes with that it is not an easy in understanding, we miss many in hurry and minor thinking can not be done.

(10) Which of the following sequence you liked the most:
Vladimir – Estragon killing time in questions and conversations whilewaiting
Pozzo – Lucky episode in both acts
Converstion of Vladimir with the boy
I liked sequence between Vladimir and Estragon. Their unnecessary talks also means some sense. As necessity and absurdity keeps on changing in our life their talks some time like absurd and some time with deep meaning. e.g.,

VLADIMIR:
You should have been a poet.
ESTRAGON:
I was. (Gesture towards his rags.) Isn't that obvious?
Silence.
VLADIMIR:
Where was I . . . How's your foot?
ESTRAGON:
Swelling visibly.
VLADIMIR:
Ah yes, the two thieves. Do you remember the story?
ESTRAGON:
No.
VLADIMIR:
Shall I tell it to you?
ESTRAGON:
No.
Here, we can see Portrait of poet and biblical refrence of thieves

(11) Did you feel the effect of existential crisis or meaninglessness of human existence in the irrational and indifference Universe during screening of the movie? Where and when exactly that feeling was felt, if ever it was?
Yes, I feel the effect of existential crisis or meaninglessness of human existence in the irrational and indifference Universe. While watching the movie so many conversation of Estragon and Vladimir makes me feel this. Like, 'Nobody comes, Nobody goes, It's awful.' in other words, 'Somebody comes, somebody goes, yet nothing happen.' That kind of dialogue sowing seed of existentialism in my mind and push me in deep thinking and connecting with myth of Sisyphus.

(12) Vladimir and Estragon talks about ‘hanging’ themselves and commit suicide, but they do not do so. How do you read this idea of suicide inExistentialism?
When there is interrogation that, 'will night never come? And May be day will end.' It is symbolic representation of death. Night coming with death coming. When Vladimir and Estragon talks about Hanging and commit suicide, It shows they feel tired in waiting. When we constantly waiting for something and agonizing for result, yet didn’t get it, the worst feeling of disheartened force to think of suicide. But as Tomorrow never comes same as Tomorrow never dies, sowing the seed of hope in mind and they do not do suicide.


End of film Aankho dekhi also shows the suicide of Central character. Suicide with understanding! Though it is connecting idea of existetialism here. According to Existentialism suicide is not the solution. Existentialism says that even if there is no meaning in life but it doesn’t mean that one should end their life. That is why Vladimir and Estragon thinks to do so but they do not so. 

(13) Can we do any political reading of the play if we see European nations represented by the 'names' of the characters (Vladimir - Russia; Estragon - France; Pozzo - Italy and Lucky - England)? What interpretation can be inferred from the play written just after World War II? Which country stands for 'Godot'?

Vladimir – Russia
Estragon -France
Pozzo - Italy 
Lucky – England
 This interpretation be inferred from the play written just after World War II. All these countries were lost in their gimmicks and passing time in wait for something good to come out. What actually turned out to be the end of Waiting, in form of Godot was Second World War – the rise of Hitler. Thus, Germany is stands for Godot as per this view. 

(14) So far as Pozzo and Lucky [master and slave] are concerned, we have to remember that Beckett was a disciple of Joyce and that Joyce hated England. Beckett meant Pozzo to be England, and Lucky to be Ireland." (Bert Lahr who played Estragon in Broadway production). Does this reading make any sense? Why? How? What?
Pozzo and Lucky both are kept in master slave relationship. This can completely understand by viewing or reading after play. And we see that after the blindness of his master ( Pozzo) Lucky can't be free because he doesn't want. So, Ireland always be slave of England and we read this with colonial perspective because, Ireland is small country and for its own purpose of buisness and goods it sticks with England.

(15) The more the things change, the more it remains similar. There seems to have no change in Act I and Act II of the play. Even the conversation between Vladimir and the Boy sounds almost similar. But there is one major change. In Act I, in reply to Boy;s question, Vladimir says: 
"BOY: What am I to tell Mr. Godot, Sir?
VLADIMIR: 
Tell him . . . (he hesitates) . . . tell him you saw us. (Pause.) You did see us, didn't you?
How does this conversation go in Act II? Is there any change in seeming similar situation and conversation? If so, what is it? What does it signify?

"BOY: What am I to tell Mr. Godot, Sir?
VLADIMIR: Tell him . . . (he hesitates) . . . tell him you saw me and that . . . (he hesitates) . . . that you saw me. (Pause. Vladimir advances, the Boy recoils. Vladimir halts, the Boy halts. With sudden violence.) You're sure you saw me, you won't come and tell me tomorrow that you never saw me!”

This How act two is ending. What the change in both the end is in Vladimir’s mentality. ‘You did see us”  convert into “you saw me” . Vladimir concern for his  Conscience only. We can connect it with 'Two thieves story' (biblical refrence and refrence of Gospel writer, disciple of jesus) which was told earlier that one was saved and one was damned. Here he also want to be the one who was saved. He emphasize on remembering only him.

Post viewing Task on Pinter's 'The Birthday Party'

The play ‘The Birthday  Party’ has greatly been admired. It was Harold Pinter's second full length play.It has been said that 'The birthday Party' has neither a beginning nor an end, but for Pinter the past histories and characters do not matter much. The only fact with which he is concerned are the facts of what is said and done on stage. Thus, 'The Birthday Party' is  Unique play.

Here is my answer on given task by my Teacher as part of my academic work.

Why are two scenes of Lulu omitted from the movie? 
Director of any film is free to apply his/er own creativity in film If director find some unnecessary part from paly they can omitted it. In the Play Birthday Party two scene of Lulu not taken in film

Is movie successful in giving us the effect of menace? Where you able to feel it while reading the text
Yes, movie is successful in giving us the effect of menace through the scene of violence and anger. Scene of drum beating by Stenely. And while reading Third act of original play I feel beat of menace. In the third act when Goldberg and McCann had bombarded Stanley with questions, bringing all sorts of charges and accusations against him. Secondly, when there is black out in act two and whole scene that, there is no light in the room.

Do you feel the effect of lurking danger while viewing the movie? Where you able to feel the same while reading the text

While viewing the film I feel Effect of lurking danger in voice of door knocking and with the fear of Stenely when he heard news from Meg About Two men coming. And while reading 'The Birth Day Party' I feel the same which Pinter describes in his words that, “ Menace and fear do not come from extraordinary, sinister people, but from you and me; It is all matter of Circumstances.” Thus, Much of Pinter’s work emphasizes the fear lurking just round the corner. He convey to us a sense that peace is only an illusion.

What do you read in 'newspaper' in the movie? Petey is reading newspaper to Meg, it torn into pieces by McCain, pieces are hidden by Petey in last scene.

My interpretation is that, Newspaper is the symbol which connect outer world into the room. In beginning of Act two, McCann, who sits at the table, is tearing a sheet of a newspaper into five  equal strips. It is surprising to us that why he is doing this strange act? May be it is show meaninglessness of doing and May be he is finding some clue about Case of Stenely.


Camera is positioned over the head of McCain when he is playing Blind Man's Buff and is positioned at the top with a view of room like a cage (trap) when Stanley is playing it. What interpretations can you give to these positioning of camera? 
In this movie camera is well positioned and successful in creating appropriate effects. In those scenes it shows particular person’s mental condition as fear or ambiguity and what others are doing or thinking about Stenely. It gives multi meaning to scene.

"Pinter restored theater to its basic elements: an enclosed space and unpredictable dialogue, where people are at the mercy of one another and pretense crumbles." (Pinter, Art, Truth & Politics: Excerpts from the 2005 Nobel Lecture). Does this happen in the movie?
Yes, it does happened in the movie. We can see blurred dialogues, and with this space. We are not clear about  it without a doubt.

How does viewing movie help in better understanding of the play ‘The Birthday Party’ with its typical characteristics (like painteresque, pause, silence, menace, lurking danger)?
Yet, I didn’t read whole play, I have gone through several part of the play and I realize that viewing movie helps me in better understanding. Even in reading we just go with plain reading but while watching, actually we can study pause, painteresque and with background voice and visuals on screen we can feel menace and lurking danger.

 8.With which of the following observations you agree:

1.“It probably wasn't possible to make a satisfactory film of "The Birthday Party. 

2.“It's impossible to imagine a better film of Pinter's play than this sensitive, disturbing version directed by William Friedkin”[3]. (Ebert)

I agree with the first observation because it probably wasn’t possible to make a satisfactory film of “The Birthday Party”. Reason is that ‘The story line in Pinter’s play is usually as indefinite as the characters. We are often in doubt whether an event has actually taken place or not’. In that to make a film with no plot is not an everyone’s cup of tea. 

 9.If you were director or screenplay writer, what sort of difference would you make in the making of movie? Who would be your choice of actors to play the role of characters?

If I was Director or screen play writer, I would make some changes in Setting of making movie. Further, I would like to make change in lightning of the movie and outlook of Stenely. 

List of Actor to play the role of Character as per my Choice.

Rajat Kapoor as Petey

Ratna Pathak as Meg 

Nawazuddin Siddiqui as McCann

Naseeruddin Shah as Goldberg

Kalki Koechlin as lulu

Aayushmn  Khurrana as Stenely.

Interpretion Challenge: Breath: The Shortest play by Samuel Beckett

This blog is part of my academic activity. To see the task please Click here...

“Breath” by Samuel Beckett

CURTAIN up
1. Faint light on stage littered with miscellaneous rubbish. Hold about five seconds.
2. Faint brief cry and immediately inspiration and slow increase of light together reaching maximum - together in about ten seconds. Silence and hold for about five seconds.
 3. Expiration and slow decrease of light together reaching minimum together (light as in 1) in about ten seconds and immediately cry as before. Silence and hold about five seconds.
CURTAIN Down

Modern literature experiments with the traditional one. Theme of absurdity and nothingness is in center. Artist try to find new meanings and try to extent  their vision over horizon. Samuel Bucket, Harold Pinter, Virginia Woolf all were the writers of that period. Which raise question about existence and try to put it on canvas or paper through words or colors.
Samuel Bucket wrote a play ‘Breath’ 30second play? Is it in another tittle of the paly? Is that Play is only 30second longer? Answer is yes. Breath is paly of thirty second. It is surprising to me also, when it first time introduced by Teacher in class. Curtain up with noise of breath and constant cry in background noise. Only visibly thing on floor is rubbish and curtains down. That’s all! We can call it absurd but it is open to interpret with our meanings and can expand our understanding.

1.My interpretation on Video by Damien Hirst.

Camera moves ups to down and with the fearful voice of breath Garbage of hospital is shown. As per my thinking this play want to show struggle of life and at last what we find is nothing. Passing days as garbage, exhale breathe as nothing but just as carbon dioxide which is burden on earth.
We can connect this meaninglessness of life in Gita Sandesh.

 जो हुआ, वह अच्छा हुआ, जो हो रहा है, वह अच्छा हो रहा है, जो होगा, वह भी अच्छा ही होगा। तुम भूत का पश्चाताप न करो। भविष्य की चिन्ता न करो। वर्तमान चल रहा है।
तुम्हारा क्या गया, जो तुम रोते हो? तुम क्या लाए थे, जो तुमने खो दिया? तुमने क्या पैदा किया था, जो नाश हो गया? न तुम कुछ लेकर आए, जो लिया यहीं से लिया। जो दिया, यहीं पर दिया। जो लिया, इसी (भगवान) से लिया। जो दिया, इसी को दिया।
We are born free, with nothing and we died with open hand. We can say.. We enter, this is what we call born, we cry, shout is Life and we go out that's death!

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Juxtaposing dialogues from Mira Nair film “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” based on Mohsin Hamid’s  novel. It is a 2012 political thriller drama film. The film was produced by Lydia and co-produced by freelance screenwriter Ami Bogani, Hansi Farsi, Anadil Hossain and US producer Robin Sweet. Frame  narration of film is story within story and flashback technique is also used here.

It’s include several points like…
Past 9/11time, globalization, corporate world and World view at terrorism The Reluctant Fundamentalism starts with traditional Islamic Quvvali, film tries to portrayed theme of art. Holly book  Quran is against  sharaab and representation of Quvvali and melody with Shraab it’s in a way anti-Islam.


Changez Khan is hero of film, who is in love of America and do all good for nation America. He believe by doing that he is an American but threat of terrorism in Americans doubt on every in-native American and Changez Khan is One of them. Doubt are over dignity and human dignity damage and it raise objection of identity. Thus, Air of suspension around Changez take place and whole story pf movie goes on.


Coming back to Pakistan from America, Changez start giving lecture in colleges, Stereotypes set prejudice over Pakistani and wrong perception about Jihad, force to believe audience that Changez is  provoking students on name of Islam. But truth is not that, other side of is different.

Market Fundamentalism : During his interview with Lincoln, Changez says that at one point he was approached by a terrorist cell and asked to become amujahid, and he was tempted to accept, feeling deeply angered and disillusioned by "the arrogance, the blindness, the hypocrisy" of the USA, but he refuses when he was told about the "fundamental truths" of the Quran, echoing a phrase Jim Cross had used during their first encounter, "focusing on the fundamentals".


Father Son conflict : Changez’s  father is a well respected poet (Om Puri), but money has always been difficult for the family and Changez was only able to attend college when he got a scholarship to Princeton University Objection of Identity.


Apart from that film includes quality of suspense and  thriller. Mira Nair said that, “In my film we used the enigma of the situation- Is he spy, is he a terrorist, are neither or both? As the springboard for a dialogue, a bridge  connecting us, making each of us see ourselves in what we had regarded as ‘the others’.
She adds that, “The beauty of living in two or three places is your world view is forced to expand” ,when you live only here, it’s a one sided conversation with the rest of the world. We can connect it with Chimamanda’s danger of having single story!
Click here to read more.

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/movies/mira-nair-on-the-reluctant-fundamentalist.html

On Chimamanda's views

I often make the mistake of thinking that something that is obvious to me is just as obvious to everyone else. (Chimamanda)


Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie an excellent speaker, Nigerian Novelist, writer of Short stories and non fiction. Americanah, half of a yellow sun, purple Hibiscus are her famous novels and We should All be feminist is her book length essay. The thing around your neck is her short story collection. She wad described in The Times Literary supplement as “The most prominent “ of a “Procession of critically acclaimed young Anglophone authors who is succeeding in attracting a new generation of  readers to African Literature.
In a 2014 interview, Adichie  said on feminism and writing , ‘ I think of myself as  a story teller, but I would not mind at all if someone were to think of me as a feminist writer… I’m very feminist in the way I look at the world , and that world view  must somehow  be part of my work.

(1) Here, is Chimamanda’s speech on “We should all be Feminist” 

‘The higher you go, the fewer women there are.’

The definition of Feminist is advocating social, political, legal, andeconomic rights for women equal to those of men.
In her speech she shares her Experience with Waiter in Hotel. Waiter greet only Man with her and ignore her every time. Waiter is product of society, who taught them that male are more important than female.  She add that Gender matters everywhere in the world. On gender she further says that Gender is not an easy conversation to have. It makes people uncomfortable, sometimes even irritable. Both men and women are resistant to talk about gender, or are quick to dismiss the problems of gender. Because thinking of changing the status quo is always uncomfortable.


How parenting  differentiate  gender: We say to girls: You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful but not too successful, otherwise you will threaten the man. If you are the breadwinner in your relationship with a man, pretend that you are not, especially in public, otherwise you will emasculate him.
Idea And Language of marriage is also discussed by her that,  language of marriage is language of ownership rather than language of partnership. We used the world respect something which women should show to Men but, not Men shows to Women.Compromise in relationship, we grows the girl with competence of rather girl’s intention is for the attention of Men. We praised girl for virginity not boy!  We teach girl shame, no desire, silence themselves. Apart from all we should focus on ability rather than gender. The problem with gender is that it prescribes how we should be rather than recognizing how we are. Imagine how much happier we would be, how much freer to be our true individual selves, if we didn’t have the weight of gender expectations After all, Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture.

2)Talk on Importance of story in literature.

In this TED talk Chimamanda tells the story of she found her authentic cultural voice… and turns on Danger of having a single story. If we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
In the beginning, She talk about her mental shift on literature. How her early writings character with Fair skin and blue eyes, eat apple and drink ginger bear, when in reality having a chocolate color skin, kinky hair and normally eat mangoes and never taste ginger bear! Writers like Chinua Achebe and other African writer opens new door of her imagination. She says that What’s the discovery African writers did for her is…It save from having a single story.

It is impossible to talk about single story without talking about Power. Power is the ability "not to just tell" the story of another person but it’s make it definitive story  of that person. Single story creates Stereotype—it’s not that they are true, but they are incomplete, they make one story become the only story. In this talk she interpose Nollywood and Nigerian film.

She adds that , Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity. Chimamanda end her speech with that, ‘That when we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise’.

3) Talk on importance of Truth in Post truth Era at Harvard class 2018

Adichie opened her remarks with an anecdote about a presenter who once, after devotedly practicing the proper pronunciation of Adichie’s name, accidentally introduced her as “chimichanga.” She said the moment taught her the importance of understanding the origin of ideas and actions.
Offering words of wisdom to graduating seniors who may not yet know what they want to do, Adichie reflected on her journey to literary acclaim. She quoted well-known television producer Shonda Rhimes regarding the importance of continuing to try until one finds an occupation at once enjoyable and successful.

For more reading on that click here

Not embraced with truth Is biggest courage!

Really, Chimamanda is an excellent speaker and her thought provoking speeches made me speechless. I love to read and hear more from her..! 

Reflection on Midnight's Children

Saleem and Shiva- the truth about is also may be wrong, whose blood is question?

Midnight’s children(novel), is story of Grandfather to son Saleem and another boy Shiva. With the born of independent India at mid night some children were also born and with their grows symbolically growing of India is presented. Movie is like collage of so any things. Many stories goes together with various symbols, hidden meanings and mechanics of the movie. Midnight’s children is like National History in Fictional way. Deepa Mehta try to make it Dreamy and Dramatic. Salman Rushdie is himself  screenplay writer, though it is not as good as novel.

Decolonizing of human mind and how we look at freedom struggle or nationalism also is very important. This people who are cross over people hybrid identities like Deepa Mehta, Mira Niar.. They look at history in rather different perspective and which are normally not much in same way and their work hatred r being attacked  by Hindutva identities or people.
The film is not very good film, the way Novel has been appreciated time and again  and we see that screen play written by same writer of novel yet, even it is not as good as novel. It goes to that idea that when same writer translate the work, it’s not good translation but, it may be not 100% true theory because, writer like  Harold Pinter, who was also screen paly writer, but His understanding  medium of media and stage very well.

Key aspect of film

1.Chutney frication Or Chutnification.
The idea of chutney is in novel also and that is what he is doing with language also. Chutney is something which is made by mixing so many things and Salman Rushdie done it with English language. Whatever he found Hindi or Urdu  words  appropriate for it. He is not translate it but allow it to remain as it is, so it is kind of chutney frication. Writer Of  pre-independent India’s were translating their views word  by word into English , all kahavat and all, this way Indian writing in English is differ than that period of writing  Salman Rushdie is gaining more confidence with his own identity to knowing Hindi and Urdu and tries to put that aspect in English Language. Now with expression of  Salman Rushdie kind of writer or that group of writer using One’s own technique, one’s own way of writing is gaining confidence.

Symbols

There are very interesting symbol is given in entire novel is considered as allegory of India. So some children are born at midnight and than India is also born at midnight. Saleem Senai who is protagonist and who is born at midnight with whom India’s story also described. Ups and down everything happening we see how India is narrated. Allegory of India is connected with some character so. What we see is history narrated in fictional way. History is narrated is fictionalized or Nation is narrated in fictional way  with imagine world. Whatever happened in novel has actually happened in  India but, it is interpreted in a different way. The events are happened, it’s real events happened in India. Salman Rushdie’s Way of looking , it may be not fair and He says that when we read meta narrative of past we also have to believe.

Interesting Symbols in Film

1.Spitoon.

Normally spittoon is used for spit  but here it used as memory of something but the memory itself become an amnesia. Stroke of it over Saleem become the reason his lost of memory. Amnesia and Memory become debatable point. What we remember, how we remember, what is made to forgotten is very interestingly happening through out literature also.

2. Magic Realism

Magic Realism is something which is part of people’s life  and that is become  unique style of writing in literature. This style came not from western Writers, who believe in pure realism. They believe that Novel should be written with realism . Canon of literature is when we look at novel it says that it should be reality otherwise it is known as romance.

Magic realism  is part of plot and style of movie. It shows lived experience of people of third world country under colonizers. In movie Parvati who knows magic called by people as witch. Because they think magic is craft of illusion. Parvati used to believe in her magic. She has one disappear box also which she used to save Saleem and her child. There is every time absurdity in marriage. Science and superstition has simultaneously shown in the movie. 

3.Nose

Fantastic Elements like  Different sense of smell, children who born on that same night can meet through this sense and only who can call them who is born exact at 12.00 pm of night, others can only participate and in this  Nose is symbolically presented here India’s nose- culture, heritage, history with flight. Father not believe in all that and operation of nose closed the door of that meetings for forever. 

4.Hybridity

Everything not told with cause and effect but, Real world is selling in fantastic world. Blurring reality and magic with so many turns took shape of whole movie. With the end of movie our sense is broken about Saleem’s  blood that he is son of Mumtaz, but in reality he is the son of Mathwood and Vanita; with that ultimate search of self ‘who am I? Truth of oneself? This is ironically presented to literature toward deep question. Another notion of love that Love is not born, it’s made. We can connect it with mythically represent of Yashoda. Mixture of everything is important in Hinduism; idea of  panch mahabhut and panch tatv.

5. Marxist Voice 

Character of Joseph and Marry, speaks very loud of representation or satirical voice of Marxist. Rich-Poor and Independence only for rich people like foolish belief and it resulted into big confusion about someone’s identity. 

6.Dark and Light

One of the British image of India as snack Charmer and apart from that another scene of Pokhran Nuclear test, shows science and blind faith goes together. Duality of India Dark and Light too. Symbolical presence of emergency by Indira Gandhi and worse condition of helpless people.

At the end, 

‘The happy child of the glorious hour’ the news paper is evidence but does it true??? Is central question

 (child = India) what Is Nation?

Nation is not boundary, which kills thousands innocent  life.

An Era Of Darkness

British rule was, according to Tharoor, an Era of Darkness for India. In his Latest published book ‘An era pf darkness is all about condition of colonized India. British colonial rule was an awful experience for Indians. What India had to endure under the rule of Britishers was outrageous humiliation on name of humanity, Tharoor’s  book speaks all about it. In short, book is very god reminder of everything injustice done by Britishers!
There are several things that make the book extraordinary.


(1)Looted with laxity 

Indian wealth, ruined indigenous skill and increased rural poverty are product of British raj over India. This is disaster for India. Some  numerical information in book is really shocking.

1. In 1700, India’s GDP was 27%of the world GDP while in 1947, it had come down to 3 per cent. Just to put things in perspective, in 1600, Britain’s share of the global GDP was 1.8 per cent.

2. Between 30 million-35 million Indians died of starvation during the British Raj.

3. In the first decades of the twentieth century, 8,000 British officers in India earned £13,930,554 each year, while over the same time, 130,000 Indians in govt. service earned £3,284,163 pounds.


 (2)Divide and Rule
Another significant point discussed by Tharoor is Seed of partition and Binary division implied by Britishers. Binary things between Hindu and Muslim created by Britishers Thus,  The policy of divide and rule that was so successfully implemented by the British in India in furtherance of the colonial project.


(3) colonization of Mindset

An era of Darkness is not just a narrative of history. It’s open the eyes of Indian and give comprehensive look of British raj over India. Tharoor firmly speaks that even good custom not introduced by British for our purpose  but, they were brought in pursuit their own desire for the better rule over India. Railway, Education of English language, freedom of press all were for their comfort. British wrecked our industry, craftsmanship died in cost of machinery. Colonial rule worsened poverty and landlessness. In short they mentally and physically smashed voice of Indians. Rule on India by British is greatest crime on human history.

The Great Dictator

We watched film The Great Dictator at the Department of English, MKBU as part of our background study of Modern literature. The Great Dictator is a 1940 American Political satire Comedy drama silent film and film maker well into the period of sound film. It was his first talking film. Film is  Written, Directed, Produced and scored by Charlie Chaplin. Film controversial condemnation of Adolf Hitler, fascism and the Nazis so, first question raised in our mind about Fascist, who were they and what they were doing? Fascist believe that liberal democracy  is obsolete and they regard the complete mobilization of society under a totalitarian. One party state as necessary to prepare a nation for armed conflict and to respond effectively to economic difficulties.


Charlie plays double roles: Persecuted Jewish Barber and Ruthless Fascist Dictator. Jewish barber fighting for nation Tomania, unknowingly he saves life of wounded pilot but, however their plane crushes and twenty years later He return to his previous  profession as barber in the Ghetto. Where he falls in love with his neighbor Hannah. In search of better and peaceful life they struggle a lot. Meanwhile Hynkel another role of Charlie tries to finance his ever growing military forces by borrowing money from Jewish barber. In all that matter both the character because of same look create a glitch.


Barber and Schultz,  escaping from the camp in stolen uniforms, dressed as Hynkel, arrive at the Osterlich frontier, where a huge victory-parade is waiting to be addressed by Hynkel. The real Hynkel is mistaken for the Barber while out duck hunting in civilian clothes and is knocked out and taken to the camp. Schultz tells the Barber to go to the platform and impersonate Hynkel, as the only way to save their lives once they reach Osterlich's capital. The Barber has never given a public speech in his life, but he has no other choice.(Wikipedia) and he tries to give speech. It is the great message we admire him for that.

Speech of Barber as Hynkel in film.

You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.

Then – in the name of democracy – let us use that power – let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world – a decent world that will give men a chance to work – that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfill that promise. They never will!

Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people! Now let us fight to fulfill that promise! Let us fight to free the world – to do away with national barriers – to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness. Soldiers! in the name of democracy, let us all unite ! 

The soul of man has been given wings, and at last he is beginning to fly. He is flying into the rainbow – into the light of hope, into the future, the glorious future that belongs to you, to me, and to all of us. 

This message and film out at such a time it brought light to painful period of darkness and actually gives a huge message of peace ironically in the end of speech. It seems strong connection with Gandhian idea of non-violence and peace.

Modern critics have praised it as a historically significant film and an important work of satire. In 1938, Hitler was not yet recognized in all quarters as the embodiment of evil. Powerful isolationist forces in America preached a policy of nonintervention in the troubles of Europe, and rumors of Hitler's policy to exterminate the Jews were welcomed by anti-Semitic groups. Some of Hitler's earliest opponents, including anti-Franco American volunteers in the Spanish Civil War, were later seen as "premature antifascists"; by fighting against fascism when Hitler was still considered an ally, they raised suspicion that they might be communists. "The Great Dictator" ended with a long speech denouncing dictatorships, and extolling democracy and individual freedoms. This sounded to the left like bedrock American values, but to some on the right, it sounded pinko. 

(work taken from review of film for more reading click on that.) 

Orientalism

This blog is reflection of given task. It has Five concept of Orientalism by Edward Said, which I like most from this video. 

(1) How Said’s Interest emerges in Orientalism

EDWARD SAID: My interest in Orientalism began for two reasons, one it was an
immediate thing, that is to say, the Arab-Israeli War of 1973, which had been preceded by a lot of images and discussions in the media in the popular press about how the Arabs are cowardly and they don't know how to fight and they are always going to be beaten because they are not modern. And then everybody was very surprised when the Egyptian army crossed the canal in early October of 1973 and demonstrated that like anybody else they could fight. That was one immediate impulse. And the second one, which has a much longer history in my own life was the constant sort of disparity I felt between what my experience of being an Arab was, and the representations of that that one saw in art. I'm talking about very great artists, you know, like Delacroix and Ang and Gerome and people like that, novelists who wrote about the Orient like Disraeli or Flaubert and you know the fact that those representations of the Orient had very little to do with what I knew about my own background in life. So I decided to write the history of that.

  (2) Idea of Difference

The differences between different kinds of Orientalism  are in effect the differences between different experiences of what is called the Orient. I mean the difference between Britain and France on the one hand and the United States on the other, is that Britain and France had colonies in the Orient. I mean they had a longstanding relationship and imperial role in a place like India, so that there's a kind of an archive of actual experiences of being in India, of ruling in a country for several hundred years. And the same with the French in North Africa, let's say Algeria or Indochina, direct colonial experience. In the case of the Americans, the experience is much less direct. There's never been an American occupation of the Near East. So I would say the difference between British and French Orientalism on the one hand and the American experience of the Orient on the other is that the American one is much more indirect, much more based on abstractions. The second big thing, I think that differs in the American experience from the British and French of Orientalism, is that the American. Orientalism is very politicized by the presence of Israel for which America is the mainally.


(3) Said’s Conclusion on the world Trade Centre 

[TV: Nightline] Only eight days ago I concluded a broadcast on the World Trade Center bombing by telling you what senior law enforcement officials were telling us, that the threat of Muslim extremists operating within the United States is an ongoing danger, something we'll have to live with from now on.

EDWARD SAID: And repeating the lines of the people who have the most influence, for
whom Islam is a useful foreign demon, to turn attention away from the inequities and
problems in our own society. So, as a result, the human side of the Islamic and
especially Arabic world, are rarely to be found and the net result is this vacancy on the one hand and these easy, almost automatic images of terror and violence. There is a handy set of images and clichés, you know, not just from the newspapers and the television, but from movies.

(4) Views on Terrorism

Is the Arab world full of terrorists? Well, I mean, all you have to do is
break down the question into common sense and say, there are terrorists as there are everywhere, but you know, there's a lot more going on there, I mean we're talking about 250 to 300 million people and one of the great problems with Orientalism to begin with is these vast generalizations about Islam and the nature of Islam. There is very little in common that you can talk about as Islam,let's say, between Indonesia andSaudi Arabia, I mean they are both Muslim countries but, you know, the difference is in history and language and traditions and so on. It's so vast that the word Islam has, at best, a tenuous meaning. The same is true within the Arab world. I mean Morocco is very different from Saudi Arabia. Algeria is very different from Egypt. And I would argue and in fact have argued, that the predominant mood of the Arab world is very secular. It's easy to attract attention and certainly the media's attention for some of the political
reasons that are obvious.

(5) The authoritarian, hierarchical Model

I say, not all of us say, well they should be thrown out. Because we have been

thrown out and so we have another vision, which is a vision of co-existence, in which

Jew and Arab, Muslim, Christian and Jew can live together in some polity, which I think it requires a kind of creativity, and invention that is possible – vision that would replace the authoritarian, hierarchical model. But this idea that somehow we should protect

ourselves against the infiltrations, the infections of the Other, is, I think, the most

dangerous idea at the end of the twentieth century. Unless we find ways to do it, and

there are no short cuts to it, unless we find ways to do this, you know there is going to

be wholesale violence of a sort represented by the Gulf War, by the killings in Bosnia,

the Rwandan massacres and so on. I mean those are the pattern of emerging conflict

that is extremely dangerous and needs to be counteracted and I think therefore it's

correct to say that the challenge now is – I wouldn't call it anything other than co￾existence. How does one co-exist with people whose religions are different, whose

traditions and languages are different but who form part of the same community or polity in the national sense? How do we accept difference without violence and hostility?