MAN BOOKER PRIZE

From  next year Man Booker’s Prize will change. It will no longer be an exlcusive domain of Common Wealth writers. From 2014 onwards the Prize will be open to entries from all over the world. As of now, writers who write in English and whose work has been published UK are eligible for the award.

The ostensible  logic of the move is to universalize literature. To bring writers from diverse regions on a common platform to compete. This move will change the face of prize for ever.

Uptill now, the award was a  great platform for non-English speaking population, specifically Asian and African writers from the Commonwealth region. The award had a great aspirational value for Commonwealth writers. It promoted talent, and gave a fillip to fiction writing. Indians benefitted a lot from the award. Salman Rushdie, Kiran Desai and Arunadhati Roy rose to prominence with their work being anointed by the award.

Now things are going to change. Commonwealth writers will face tough competition from transnational writers. This may raise their bar, it might also swamp them out.

The fine print of the decision points to the growing unease of publishing houses whose domain is being encroached by technology firms like Amazon, Apple and Google. They have brought out e-reading devices like Kindle and ipad . Internet has democratized publishing. Books are more and more being made and released online. This move from the print to the digital has seen a rapid decline in the number of publishing establishments. Publishing industry itself is witnessing mergers and takeovers.  Clearly, the publishing proprietors are facing the music. One wonders if the recent change in rules of game of the Man Booker is the result of a  lobbied effort by this beleaguered publishing group.

 

MALALA - the girl story

It’s almost a year now. On  October 9, 2012, a young girl was returning home from school on an open -back truck. The truck was waylaid by a group of armed men. They asked the name of each of the child, and finally zeroed on a teenage girl. They put a gun barrel on her forehead and ran a bullet through her head. The girl was Malala Yousafzai. Armed hotheads were Taliban extremists. Location was Mingon town of Swat district. Country – Pakistan.

The cause of her being shot was a trifle matter for a death sentence. Malala had raised objection against Taliban’s diktat  preventing girls from going to school.

Malala survived the attack. She along with her family is living in Britain. Despite the attack, Malala had stuck to her position. She continues to oppose the Talibani fatwa, and  continues to champion the cause of girlchild education. 

Malala has now spoken about her wish to become a politician to fight for  girlchild rights, among other things.

Rise of Malala as a child activist is an interesting story. The forces which chiseled Malala’s character and convictions lay around her while she grew up in backwaters of Pakistan. The very fact that a  teenage girl from an underdeveloped region  should have such sharpened insight and worldview points to moulding forces alive in her neighbourhood. 

What were her influences ? Her schoolteachers and fellow schoolfriends, her parents and relatives.

Obviously, subjugation of the girlchild must have been a potent emotion among her influences. Among her school friends and teachers, the feeling about treatment meted out to the girlchild must have been very strong. They couldn’t vent those feelings. Malala had the opportunity and zing to take Taliban front-on.

The backstory of Malala points definitively to one fact. Modern day repressive societies have a strong undercurrent of revolt. The young of the society primarily nurse this sense of revolt and angst. Even if revolt doen’t come from the young, it is fuelled by youth-power. Arab Spring revolt is a case in the point.

It was well that Malala was not given the Nobel Peace Prize. To have done so would have deified her. She is too young for that. She should be allowed to flower, to develop her own path of activism, find her own voice and worldview.

BAN ON JWALA GUTTA

A lifetime ban on ace badminton shuttler Jwala Gutta is not something that is best for health for Indian Badminton Association.

Taking heed of the public uproar, IBA, has constituted an independent three body committee to look into the matter.

What is ironical is that the sports body has chose fit to lash the whip on its top player, someone who has won laurels for the country, winning a bronze medal at the 2011 World Badminton Championships.

At a time when sports bodies and administrators are coming under glare for their omissions and commissions, BAI has not glorified itself in anyway by its action.

Discipline and nurturing goes hand in hand.  If an errant player is disciplined, then it is also expected that administrators  sincerely nurture talent and keep themselves above politics and scams. How many of the sports administrators can pass this litmus test.

Punishing is easy. Promoting an environment of impartiality and excellence is tough. That’s what is required and expected from sports bodies like BAI. Then , if a player doesn’t toes the line, action against him or her will be called exemplary.

ASARAM - FAMILY AFFAIRS

Skeletons are tumbling out of Asaram Bapu’s cupboard. His whole family is getting embroiled in sexual exploitation scandal. Asaram is already behind bars. Now after a married women had charged his  son Narayan Sai with rape, he is absconding. Police has issued a lookout notice against him. Narayan Sai’s mother and sister are also on the run. Police has charged them with complicity to  crime.

As the sex scandal dragnet closes on Asaram , and murky going-ons  are revealed , a sense of  disgust seems to envelop people, many of whom, till the other day, were his ardent devotees.

It’s a quintessential case of decline of dharma. Spirituality has become a spurious commodity. A money-spinner.

Die-hard Marxist’s are having their day. Their guru Marx has been vindicated. Religion, has finally been proved to be opium of the masses.

There is a general decline of true spirituality. Meditation and devotional worship has given way to ritual and liturgy. And then some more. Somewhere along the way, the core of religion has been discarded, and the shell of externals have shielded  corrupt godmen.

The plight of a wayward and sexually deviant clergy of the Roman Catholic Church is finding a sinster reflection in this land too.

For too long political honchos and moneybags have patronized the independent Hindu clergy who go by the name of godmen. The masses have deified them, bestowing on them cult status . The hype of the Sadhus has reaped hysteria dividends.  All this have made the self-styled sadhus feel invincible.

They feel they can break laws with impunity and get away with it. But now with Asaram behind the bars its clarion call for the society to wake up to the act of charlatans, and expose them with impunity.

Nina Bares America's Underbelly

Nina Davuluri has created waves. Waves of  euphoria. Waves of extreme discontent. Tiara of Miss America has graced the head of an American of Indian origin.But unfortunately, the pageantry was followed a racial tirade against Nina. Some labelled her as a Arab. Some called her a terrorist. Strangely, Nina's crowning has laid bare the cracks and crevices of American society. It has also brought to the fore the multiculturalism  of the American society.

America has voted that dusky is divine. In a predominantly white society, to crown a brown Asian is a strong social and political statement. America has made that without fear or favour. Maybe it will make us accept that black is beautiful a wee bit sooner.

The bollywood dance talent show of Nina has made her Btown entry more forthcoming. Nina's comment refreshingly lacked the pretensions normally associated with beauty queens. She was quite frank about her career goal. That she wanted to pursue a career in medicine. The prize money will go in funding her studies.

On the flipside, rascist comments has laid bare the fears of America. 9/11 bloodshed is still haunting the nation's psyche. Nina was offhandly dubbed as an Arab and an Al-Qaida person. That's about quite as worst a deeply troubled mind can name a seeming 'outsider.' Xenophobia has taken a heavy toll on multiculturalism of America.

It is strange that how a dainty, beautiful Ms.America has laid bare the underbelly of America.

ADVANI'S CHANGE-OF-GUARD

Paens of praise from the mouth of Lal Krishna Advani for Narendrebhai Modi has surprised all. Speaking at a public function near Korba, Madhya Pradesh, Advani was all praise for Modi. This volte face seems to have happened overnight. It was just a few days back that Advani had criticized the selection of Advani as the prime ministerial candidate of BJP. So people have tried to read between the lines of Advani's statement.

One school of thought is that it is a tactical retreat of Advani. Feeling cornered and isolated, he chose to publicly paper up the differences. A subtle shift in the balance of power in the BJP Parliamentary Board must have also dictated his change of stance.

Also, he didn't want to be seen as a spoilsport of a poll-ready BJP.

It is fairly plain that an enimity of so many months can't dissolve away overnight. The overnight change in guard of Advani, hence, forebodes a strategic footwork. It can also indicate regrouping of Advani and Company to fight a protracted battle.

TINDERBOX OF WESTERN UP

Muzzafarnagar riots could well be turning point for the race of 2014. The communal cleavage which has surfaced in the communal clashes doesn't augur well for Samajwadi Party. There is a seeming disenchantment of Muslims with SP. The old-guard act of Mulayam Singh and company seems to have lost its stage appeal.

Muslims groups of the region have come together to rally against the apparent criminal somnolence of police and administration. Some say it was well-thought off. The way the whole episode was handled was a flashback to the omnious 80s when the state bled blood and the Provincial Armed Constabulary dipped its bayonet in the Muslim blood and psyche.

Today the social fabric of Western UP is torn and tattered. On the surface affulence reigns . From beaneath caste, class, and communal talons try to rip this apart. Earlier the conflict was between Jat and Jatavs. Jatavs mainly dealt with leather in its livelihood. Jats were led by Chaudhary Charan Singh and later now by his son Ajit Singh of Rashtariya Janata Dal.

SP and BSP carefully cultivated the Muslims. Muslims are a prosperous community here. They mainly deal with copperware. Their affluence and the political patronage they attract seems to have created jealously and insecurity amongst the Jats.

Thus there was a simmering caste, class and communal discord brewing. The flashpoint may have been whatever, but the tinderbox was ready to be ingnited.

One school of thought is that Mulayam had schemed it all. It allowed the social divides to simmer and then hiss. All this to rule Delhi. Well, in that sense it didn't surprise many when he called Congress to abdicate power.

UN SIDELINED - SYRIA IMBROGLIO

An seemingly off-hand comment by US Secretary of State John Kerry has, for the time being, defused the potentially explosive situation. Obama has been constrained from initiating an attack on Syria.

As if on cue, Russia had grabbed the policy initiative from Kerry's comment, and had formulated a plan of action. It held that Syria should allow its chemical weapons' stockpile to be monitored and destroyed by a UN sactioned team.

Which means that Syria will have to sign in with CWC. Then it would have to allow Organization of Prohibition of Chemical Weapons ( OPCW to inspect, and destory the chemical weapons, if it finds it them.

Uptill now, seven nations including India, US, Japan, Russia, Libya have signed themselves into this agreement.

If, and when Syria signs on the dotted lines of CWC, it will mean an tacit acceptance of pandering to chemical weapons. A charge that it has denied uptill now.

The policy initiative has saved Obama from being a cornered in a tight spot. The Nobel Prize Winner President has been spared from action that would have taken from him a wee bit of pacifist sheen. Also he would have faced domestic resistance, from a war-fatigued nation.

The Senate action has been put off till now. This has given manoeuvre space to Syria and its allies. But a lingering of concrete action can offer Syria a chance to freeze the status quo. Which the world ill affords.

The sad part of the whole episode was that UN was humiliatingly sidelined. Now boldened by the move UN has asked for stern action against Syria. ( if the charges are proved ).

Deja Vu in Muzzarnagar

Uttar Pradesh lives on a tinderbox. A flint of communal tension can spark off a violent string of clashes. The recent riots in Muzzaffarnagar, it is being argued, burst off as much spasmodically, as from a grand design. For riots have now become a part and parcel of the state's time-flow. Since 2012, 27 cases of communal violence has been reported in the State.
The response are predictably the same. Oppostion parties are blaming each other. Sonia, Rahul, Home Minister Shinde are charestically mum. Manmohan Singh has sighed a condolence. The oppostion has demanded Government's resignation. It's deja vu.

SLOW GO OBAMA

Diffidence of Obama to strike at Syria lays bare his dilemma. At a time when the world is watching US closely to see how and how fast it reacts to the Syrian crisis, the President is going slow and unsure in its action.
Obama has put the ball in the court of the Congress. Put this in contrast to the Bush's 9/11 stance - Either you are with me or with the terrorist.
The bite has gone of of the US and how.
It can be argued that domestically the President has too much on his plate. That his agenda is primarily that of the Homeland, and that war just distracts from it.
Also, after Afghanistan, the US is war weary. It has found out that it has a penchant for getting stuck in war zones. The cost on the home front of such misadventures are costly. Obama wants to avoid it. Remember, the elections are near. 

Rupee Weak At The Knees

It's 22 years now that the ghost of economic crisis is again casting its shadow on the Indian Rupee. It is strange coincidence that the face steering the nation is the same- Manmohan Singh.

 In 1992 he revived the economy and unshackled it from the permit-license raj. Today, at the fag end of his career he is compelled to watch the economic empire he so painstakingly crafted crash like a pack of cards.

Prime Minister had to go on record in Rajya Sabha stating the obvious - the economy is going through turbulent and tough times. He pointed twin factors that has created the scenario. US monetary policy and Syrian crisis.

Syria crisis is a latecomer, which has but added to the continuing woes.

US monetary policy and its impact on FDI is another ball-game. The question here is why the Indian economy is so dependent on FDI and US monetary policy. It shouldn't be. The economy should have inbuilt structures that would have made it independent of foriegn upheavels. That it wasn't, is now being made to reflect on the economy.

If now it is time to take stock, then policy measures should be initiated to make up for the weaknesses that have crept in and have shown up.

MENTORING IN BOLLYWOOD

Mentoring is the in-thing in Bollywood. Stars are rubbing off their gold dust on the chosen few. Aamir is mentoring Jackie Shroff's son Tiger. Hritik has under his wings Varun Dhawan, Siddarth Malhotra and Arjun Kapoor; and John Abraham is training Shakti Kapoor's son Siddhant Kapoor.

What triggers off this passion of mentoring ? In a dog eat dog world of Bollywood , mentoring sure sounds quirky, sassy and altruistic.

Well, the godfather culture was always there in Bollywood. It also has  favourites and camps. All these nurture, protect and promote the individual. In such an informal work culture professionalism and kinship goes hand in hand. Trust is the unwritten norm, and personal ties are still thought to be stronger than legal contracts. Emotional bonds rule.

In Bollywood, the individual is the industry. The star is the power. The ideology, the dogma , the style and the substance. Personal charisma and skills are earned through a period of `struggle,' so much a part of the Bollywood lore. The Star then finally becomes the School.

It is here that finally the urgings of mentoring rears it head. The Star wants continuity. Continuity of his star-complex. It doesn't matter if it changes its form. Dons a different personality. He wants to give what he has struggled and earned. On the sets, in the gym and in relationship lessons. So he mentors.

ANNA REINVENTED

Anna Hazare is on a pan-India whirlwind tour. But his motives are clouded. In his last uprising he had targeted Delhi. He lay siege of the Capital. Believing, maybe rightly that Delhi is India. His message got telegraphed via a symapthetic media. But the government of the day failed him. The power elite stymied his ideological coup.

This time around he chose to touch the lives of people directly. This time around he is a new Anna. All brimstone and fire spewing Moral Man who is baring his wounds and voicing his hurts as never before.

He has branded his erstwhile comrades Kejriwal and Baba Ramdev as traitors to his cause. Those are strong words. This signals the birth of a new Anna. This one is not innocence personified. This Anna Avtaar is a man of ego. Packaged within the layers of his ideological concerns and social comments, are his diatribe against a tribe gone awary. His own people who stabbed him.

In this sense this is mission personal and much mission impersonal.