December 31, 2005

Indian Ocean's Black Friday Soundtrack

This is an awesome soundtrack from an awesome band. I have long been a fan of Indian Ocean's unique blend of Indian, Jazz and Western music. The result of this fusion is that music that one cannot stop listening to. Sometime in the last year or so, Indian Ocean's music for Anurag Kashyap's controversial film about the Mumbai bomb blasts - Black Friday - was released. The soundtrack is very good, and seems very situational, with tracks titled as "RDX", "Memon House", and "Bomb Planting".

The soundtrack also includes three songs performed by the band - Bandeh, Badshah in Jail and Bharam Bap Ke. The lyrics by Piyush Mishra are very good, and the music is unlike any heard in Indian movies before. It is very Indian Ocean, and seems directly suited to the theme of the movie.

A few days back I was listening to some of Indian Ocean's early albums. I realized that Bandeh is loosely based on their song "Torrent" from the self-titled album "Indian Ocean". Also, "Bharam Bap Ke" is an updated version of "Brisk Lonely Walk" from the same album. Both tracks were purely instrumental in their original incarnation. The added lyrics and vocals, as well as the use of additional instruments (probably sarangi) in the new versions gives an entirely new feel to the tunes. It is amazing what such talented musicians can do when revisiting some of their older material!

And how I wish I could attend a live performance by Indian Ocean sometime soon!

December 02, 2005

Rosa Parks



Today marks 50 years since the day Rosa Parks refused to vacate her seat on a bus, and sparked the movement that changed America forever. The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority paid its tribute by marking Rosa Parks's seat on its buses. Simple and wonderful tribute!

The Argumentative Indian

Disclaimer: As an Indian, I have a stake in what the "Indian" character is perceived to be. In my own view, I regard it to be inclusive and broad-minded, open and welcoming to ideas, proud of its own heritage and respectful of others. Prof. Sen's book makes great arguments towards such a view. I must humbly admit that what is below are just the themes I discovered and thoughts I had upon reading the book. I do not consider myself qualified to comment on the book; rather I restrict to how it appealed to me.

The title itself is intriguing, characterizing an entire nation as "argumentative". The book is a superb ride through the history, culture, religion, philosophy and politics of the Indian subcontinent. The perspective is modern, and very strongly in support of India's pluralist tradition, tolerance and encouragement for heterodox views. Prof. Sen addresses the issue of India and Indianness using the cultural, religious, philosophic, and historical record of India in many ways. Importantly, from this record, he draws connections, shows parallels and provides context to a lot of contemporary questions about India. I see the book as a guide to Indianness, that focuses on a particular aspect of being Indian - the rich heritage of reasoning and argumentation about important questions. Prof. Sen explains the argumentative tradition well, and himself presents compelling arguments in the discussion of various current issues facing India, from the nuclear bomb to gross inequality.

The book is a collection of essays written over the past several years. The essays have been woven together in the book's theme. The four sections of the book, "Voice and Heterodoxy", "Culture and Communication", "Politics and Protest"and "Reason and Identity" are all based on Prof. Sen's many decades of research into these issues. Prof. Sen draws on results from his work in the economics of poverty, famines, and gender and class divisions. He uses a rich variety of documents, from religious texts such as the Vedas and Upanishads to modern Indian thought expressed in Tagore, Nehru and Gandhi's writings and Satyajit Ray's cinema. He relies on many foreign records of India in the past, such as those by Alberuni, Yi Jing and others. The arguments made by Prof. Sen are forceful yet put forth gently, with great care to respect a different point of view. He considers each narrow view carefully, and rejects it with great reasoninng.

Some of the important questions that Prof. Sen addresses include
  • The historical record and present state of India's argumentative tradition. From the Vedas to the current democratic process, India's record of debate, dialog and discussion. How argumentation and reasoning is a truly indigenous tradition, not an influence of the west.
  • The heterodoxy inherent in Hindu tradition. How does the concept of Hindutva being advanced by communal forces relate to Hinduism? In particular, how Hindutva restricts itself to a narrow, incomplete view of Hinduism, belittling a great tradition.
  • India's global connections. How does (and should) India relate to the world - in the past and the present.
  • The Indian identity. How do religion, class, caste, language and other factors relate to beind Indian. How is identity "defined", not "discovered" by an individual, and why it matters.
  • Mistaken perceptions. How the western perception of India as a "mystical land of spirituality" is mistaken, in view of India's achievements in philosophy, science and literature. How do Indians' perceive India, and how that perception is influenced by Western beliefs.
This book is great reading for anyone with an interest in India. I believe it is required reading to understand being Indian.