Rang de Basanti from the film Rang de Basanti (2006)
Teri Mehfil Mein from the film Mughal-e-Azam (1960)
Rob Van Dam wins the WWE Championship at One Night Stand (2006)
CM Punk wins the World Heavyweight Championship (2008)
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December 26 marks the third anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that killed an estimated 230,000 people in 12 countries. The tsunami remains one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. International attention and the drive for financial support for recovery efforts were strong for some time, but ultimately dwindled relatively quickly.
The US – and many other nations, for that matter – clearly had the capability of providing much more to the affected areas than they actually did in the critical months and years following the disaster. In the period that immediately followed the tsunami, the Bush Administration could hardly muster what amounted to a fraction of a Powerball jackpot to offer up to the people of a dozen traumatized nations. Meanwhile, the U.S. was busy spending billions and billions to kill thousands upon thousands of people in Iraq. Three years later, the killing continues in Iraq while the people of countries like Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia continue their struggle for recovery.
Even today, on the anniversary of the tragedy, the people of Sri Lanka are suffering through torrential rainstorms while landslides have buried scores in Indonesia. Despite some degree of progress in the restoration of infrastructure, the region remains scarred in many respects and reconstruction is hampered by corruption, apathy and new natural disasters such as the recent weather-related emergencies. The ramifications of the horrific events of the tsunami and its aftermath will surely be felt by generations to come. Further reading Asia remembers tsunami victims three years on AFP Tsunami Survivors Remember 2004 Disaster NPR Tsunami Recovery Uncovers New Challenges AP
On March 22, 2007, Sri Lankan SEP member Nadarajah Wimaleswaran and his friend, Sivanathan Mathivathanan disappeared under very suspicious circumstances while visiting the village of Madathuveli in the war-ravaged north of Punguduthivu Island.
Eyewitnesses saw Wimaleswaran on the back of his friend's motorbike entering the causeway connecting Kayts to Punguduthivu. His relatives and neighbours in Madathuveli also saw the pair at the house and leaving to return to Kayts. Nothing has been seen of either man or the motorbike since then.
The SEP immediately registered complaints with the commanding officers at the Punguduthivu and Velanai (Kayts) navy camps. On Saturday, the SEP faxed a complaint to the secretary of the defence ministry. All of the northern islands off the Jaffna peninsula are under the tight security of the navy, which works closely with the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) paramilitary.
Hundreds of people have been abducted, killed or "disappeared" over the past year as the government and military have escalated the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Military-sponsored death squads are widely believed to be responsible. (full article)
The repressive political conditions in Sri Lanka and the preliminary circumstantial evidence indicate that the disappearance of these two individuals is likely another case of repression perpetrated by the Sri Lankan government. The government's virtual indifference regarding the case of Wimaleswaran and Mathivathanan shows clearly that the Sri Lankan government prefers to hold on to power by spreading terror and fear amongst its people. History has shown that the people of Sri Lanka are resilient, but they need the support of people from around the world to continue in their struggle to resist oppression.
WSWS.org has posted contact information for Sri Lanka's Secretary of Ministry of Defence and the Director of Complaints and Inquiries for Sri Lanka's Human Rights Commission. Concerned individuals and organizations are encouraged to write above-noted individuals to demand an official inquiry into the disappearances of Nadarajah Wimaleswaran and Sivanathan Mathivathanan.
Thanks to our friend Sameera for helping with this article.
The escalating conflict in Sri Lanka typically fails to make the evening news in the U.S. Nevertheless, the government's renewed campaign against the LTTE is taking its toll against the innocent working people of Sri Lanka. The aerial bombardment of Iluppaikadavai on January 2, 2007 is a prime example of the barbarity of the ongoing campaign, as the death toll includes not only adult civilians, but children as well.
from BBCnews.com:
At least 15 civilians have been killed in an air force raid in north-west Sri Lanka, Tamil Tiger rebels say.
Another 25 civilians were wounded in the attack on a fishing village north of Mannar, the rebels say. The military says it bombed a rebel naval position.
Bishop of Mannar Rayappu Joseph visited the scene of the bombing and said he saw no evidence of rebel activity.
Fighting has risen over the past year, with more than 3,000 people killed. A 2002 truce exists now only on paper.
[...]
"I could not find any Tamil Tiger base in that vicinity. It was a small fishing community. The injured and killed were civilians," he said.
Rebel spokesman Rasaiah Ilanthirayan said four fighter jets had destroyed dozens of civilian houses.
"There are 15 dead bodies and 25 wounded from the bombing," he told Reuters news agency. Four of those killed were children, he said. (full story)
Relations between the government and the LTTE have deteriorated steadily over the course of the last year, due mostly to consistent provocation and and aggression on the part of the Sri Lankan government. The military continues to harass and even murder innocent civilians, justifying their campaign of terror and repression through their own brand of "antiterrorist" rhetoric. The reality of the situation is this: the Sri Lankan government is imposing drastic security measures to control the growing anger amongst the people in regards to both the ongoing war with the LTTE and the declining living standards of the working people of Sri Lanka. With the imposition of the antiterrorism laws under the guise of "national security", the government is imposing police-state measures throughout the country, particularly in the capital city of Colombo. Sri Lanka's mainstream media is confounding matters by praising the current course of government actions. Severe repression and the marginalization of political opposition are now a very common part of everyday life in Sri Lanka.
Thanks to our friend Sameera for contributing to this article.
It
is probably accurate to say that most of us in the West think of
India’s caste system as a thing of the past. Discrimination against members of India’s lowest castes is, in fact, technically illegal in these days. But the caste system
— along with caste violence of the most brutal kind — is very much a reality in
parts of today’s India. Consider the story of Bant Singh, who was
the victim of a brutal assault in January 2006. Bant Singh has
now lost both arms and a leg to a caste-related attack that occurred in
the southern Punjab district of Mansa back in January 2006. The
details of the circumstances and consequences of the attack are
discussed extensively in the Frontline article, “Casteist assault”:
from Frontline (“India’s National Magazine”):
On
January 7, Bant Singh, a resident of Jhabbar in the southern Punjab
district of Mansa, was surrounded by a group of Jat youths from the
same village. The upper-caste men brutally beat him with iron rods.
Three days later, after gangrene set in, doctors amputated his
limbs. (full article)
Bant
Singh continues to undergo rehabilitative therapy at a hospital in
Delhi, but he certainly faces an extrodinary battle that is complicated
by the social and economic conditions of the enduring remnants of the
Indian caste system. In a recent bulletin, Radhika Menon detailed
the ongoing struggles of Bant Singh and his family:
Medical Rehabilitation of Bant Singh While
Bant Singh continues to defy the fetters imposed by disability
following the barbaric assault, he is currently facing several
difficulties. He is unable to move on his own, a surgery is pending in
the leg that was left intact but dysfunctional. He has 8 very
young children to look after; his piggery—the work that had freed him
from the feudal bonds of being tied to the landlords' fields—has
collapsed and there are multiple medical complications. What needs to be done Bant
Singh's courage will be a source of inspiration to all but we need not
be mere spectators to the tragedy unleashed on him. We can express our
solidarity by helping him access the best possible medical
rehabilitation, so that he is back on his feet. Doctors have pointed
out that with the current developments in medical technology, it would
not be impossible to fix artificial limbs, both arms and legs, for him.
Given the nature of amputation and the extent of prosthetic aids
required, it is an expensive procedure but this is also necessary to
prevent his organs from getting atrophied. The
St. Stephen's Hospital, Delhi, is attempting to medically rehabilitate
Bant Singh. While this procedure has started, there is an urgent need
for funds so that the best possible prosthetic aids can be acquired for
him. We urgently seek your financial support for this purpose. Bant
Singh's rehabilitation would give all struggling people immense courage
and hope. We owe it to Bant Singh to enable him to walk again.
Last
week (or maybe it was the week before – they are all running together
nowadays), I finally got the chance to see the Bollywood film "Mother India."
Mother India was released in 1957 and was directed by Mehboob
Khan. I had previously watched Mehboob's film "Amar," which I had
understood to be one of Mehboob's personal favorites, but I
really did not care for it as much as some of the other Indian films I
have seen. Mother India was, however, a phenomenal film and after
seeing it I understand why it is among the most celebrated of
Bollywood's legendary films.
Since we have two small kids, it is no simple task to watch movies
these days, much less a film which features subtitles. Generally,
our best chance to watch a film is late at night after the kids are
asleep. When we're dealing with long, epic tales like Mother
India, we usually have to watch the movie in installments over the
course of several nights. So that's exactly what we did with this
film. Thomai watched with me sometimes, but other times I would
watch installments on my own after she was fast asleep.
Mother India is a tale of tragedy and hardship. The film's heroine, Radha, is portrayed by the Bollywood legend Nargis.
Incidentally, my mother-in-law once told me that when she was a child
in Greece, the local theaters showed Indian films from time to time and
that people would line up around the theaters to watch films featuring
Nargis. After watching this film, it is apparent why filmgoers would be
so taken with Nargis, as she portrayed the character of Radha with
incredible passion and depth.
The story is incredibly – and consistently – sad. After
watching the first 45 minutes of the movie, I asked a friend who had
seen the film if things were to get any better for the characters and
he basically indicated that the entire story a very sad one, indeed.
While the story is not without triumphant and inspiring moments it is
the hardship endured by the landless villagers at the hands of a greedy
moneylender that dominate the tale. Three generations of Radha's
struggle under the burden of debt which is complicated by harsh
conditions such as flood and famine.
One of my favorite moments in the film is when Radha's son Birju (played by Sunil Dutt)
finally returns to the village to take his revenge on the
moneylender. We were both on the edge of our seats when he
uttered the lines:
I
remember everything! I will avenge everything! You are a
dacoit. So am I. The law won't spare me. I won't
spare you.
I won't give away the ending for anyone who may consider watching the
film. But I will say that Thomai and I had some discussion on the
final tragic interaction between Radha and Birju and we have some
differing opinions on the actions of the respective characters.
Suffice it to say that Mother India is not a lighthearted film by any
means. It is, nevertheless, an artistic masterpiece that vividly
depicts the harsh and painful realities of feudal South Asia. Recommended viewing Duniya Main Hum Aaye Hain song and video from Mother India at YouTube
I wasn’t sure if I was going to like the film Rang de Basanti. I had read a little bit about it some time ago while I was researching the Indian freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.
I had found a short description of the film basically indicated that it
was something of a modern re-telling of the story of Bhagat Singh and
his compatriots and while I was a bit intrigued, I didn’t exactly rush
out to find a copy. A couple of weeks ago, my curiosity finally
got the better part of me and I ordered a surprisingly inexpensive DVD
of the film from eBay. While I was waiting for the film to arrive
in the mail, I picked up a copy of the soundtrack at the local Indian
market, as I had noticed that the soundtrack included a song by the
incomparable Lata Mangeshkar. The song by Lata was quite
lackluster compared to her earlier work, but I actually enjoy the CD’s title track by Daler Mehndi
and Chitra despite the fact that I do not generally enjoy hip-hop
and/or techno music (view an excerpt from the film featuring this song).
When the DVD
finally arrived, I was a little surprised because its packaging and
label looked a little substandard. It looked professional, mind
you...but substandard, nevertheless. When I played the DVD for
the first time, it didn’t take long to figure out the reason behind the
shoddy packaging. It all started to add up... The film was not
formatted to view on a television screen, so the images looked kind of
stretched out. And the English subtitles featured poor
punctuation and a littany of mispellings. So I eventually figured
out that I had inadvertently picked up a less-than-legitimate copy of the
film. Oh well. I can’t say that it really took away from
the viewing experience all that much...Actually, it made things even
more interesting in a way. Even the few times where the subtitles
were completely omitted for several minutes at a time were not all that
bad, even though I don’t understand Hindi.
I
was recently discussing Rang de Basanti with one of the proprietors of
the local Indian market. She proudly explained to me that she is from
the state of Punjab, which was also home to many prominent Indian
revolutionaries. She also told me that “Rang de Basanti” basically
refers to the color yellow (or maybe saffron, as I have read online) which symbolizes a
struggle or fight. As we talked, she excitedly waved a piece of yellow
plastic sheeting that she had been using as packaging in a box of
jewelry and she said, “When I wear this color, I am saying, ‘Today I am ready to go out and fight!’”
Bhagat
Singh
Indeed, Rang de Basanti is all about struggle. Rang de
Basanti’s chronicle of the Indian independence movement is a powerful
sublot in the film, but the main story line is a riveting tale
about today’s youth in India. There are some cheesy moments and
hokey musical interludes near the beginning of the movie, but these
things don’t really detract from the more serious aspects of the
plot. As the characters learn more of the sacrifices of the
leaders of the independence movement, they undergo a sobering
conversion from alienated and indifferent youths to socially conscious
quasi- revolutionaries. Along the way, the films characters
struggle against the realities of today’s India, from police and
government corruption to repression of civil liberties. In the
end, they emerge as a catalysts for social change and mass action.
The film’s
depiction of Bhagat Singh and other revolutionaries is included as a
recurring flashback of sorts that is wonderfully woven through the
film's broader tale of modern India. The filmmakers effectively depict
the bravery of the Indian revolutionaries in the face of the brutal and
repressive forces of the British occupation. Moments such as the
Assembly Hall bomb-throwing scene are brief but incredibly
well-staged. The image of Bhagat Singh, Batukeshwar Dutt and
others shouting “Inquilab zindabad!” is incredibly compelling. It
is, of course, possible to enjoy Rang de Basanti with little to no
knowledge of the Indian independence movement, but some familiarity
with the history and events surrounding the struggle for freedom in
India greatly enhances the experience of watching the movie. Of
course, a deeper appreciation of the history of the movement will also
serve to elucidate the message behind the film. The works
entitled “The Red Pamphlet” and “Statement of the Undefended Accused” are great starting points towards an appreciation of the story of India’s ongoing struggle for freedom.
While
I am slightly acquainted with some very basic material regarding the
modern history and political environment in India, I have quite a bit
to learn regarding Indian culture and I am certainly interested in
knowing more. A couple of weeks ago, we visited a new Indian
marketplace in the Dayton area and I checked out their selection of
DVDs. I had never seen any Bollywood movies before, and I was
very intrigued by their selection of films. I quickly settled on Mughal-E-Azam, which boasted a rather lofty claim on its front cover: "The Biggest Indian Film Ever."
The film is set in feudal India during the reign of Mughal Emperor
Akbar. The tale chronicles the tragic romance of Akbar’s son,
Prince Salim (played by Dilip Kumar), with the palace maid Anarkali
(played by Madhubala) . It is a love story for sure, but it is
filled with drama, intrigue and action. There is obviously much
more to the story (there must be, because it runs close to 3 hours),
but I certainly wouldn’t want to give away the ending to anyone who
might be interested watching the film. I will say that the ending
is bittersweet and when I shared my feelings on this with a friend from
South Asia, he made this rather appropriate point: “There could not be
a happy ending because how could a feudal despot accept a female slave
as his son's wife?”
When the film was originally released in 1960, only 15% of the movie
was in color. At one point, Director K. Asif had opted to shoot some
reels in color after having filmed a good deal on black and white
stock. He even went so far as to re-shoot certain black-and-white
segments in color with the intent of ultimately filming the entire
picture on color stock. But financial constraints and related pressures
forced him to release the final product as a combination of
black-and-white and color scenes. The 2005 re-release of
Mughal-E-Azam has been digitally restored and colorized and although it
is easy to discern the differences between the colorized scenes and the
scenes that were originally filmed on color stock, this certainly does
not diminish the viewing experience.
The film is a musical and I found most of the music to be quite
enjoyable. My two favorite songs from the movie are Teri Mehfil
Mein Kismat Aajmakar and Zindabad Zindabad. Although I don’t
speak Urdu ( I have also read a description of the dialogue as "Persianized Urdu") the English subtitles and some subsequent
correspondence with friends has given me a good understanding of the
meaning of these songs. I am told that Teri Mehfil Mein Kismat
Aajmakar is a song in a style called "Qawwali" and that the
style is such that the words and poetry of the song are emphasized more
than its rhythm and music.
The cinematography and effects for the film are very well done.
In recent decades, special effects have improved exponentially from
year to year, but the big battle scene in Mughal-E-Azam deserves credit
as an early cinematic achievement on a grand scale. And of
course, the scene in the Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors) is a scene
that is beautifully shot and stands out as one of the most significant
achievements of K. Asif in this particular work.
In discussing Mughal-E-Azam with some friends from South Asia, I have
come to understand that they do not share my enthusiasm for this
film. Of course, they have lived most of their lives with some
degree of awareness of the film, as it is widely hailed as a "classic"
throughout the region. For me, however, this film was an entirely
new and exciting experience. When discussing aspects of poplar
Greek culture with Greeks and Greek-Americans, I often find that
certain things which are fascinating to me seem rather ordinary and
substandard to them. I can certainly understand this. If
someone from outside the US wrote to me singing the praises of American "classics" like Gone With the Wind and Titanic, I would probably be
less than enthusiastic in my own assessments of these films.
Nevertheless, Mughal-E-Azam was an experience which was both exotic and
enchanting for me. I am happy to have seen it and I gladly
recommend the movie to others who are interested in Indian
films. Further Reading Mughal-E-Azam official site "Mughal e asam" film review from chowk.com
The escalating conflict in Sri Lanka typically fails to make the evening news in the U.S. Nevertheless, the government's renewed campaign against the LTTE is taking its toll against the innocent working people of Sri Lanka. The 
While
I am slightly acquainted with some very basic material regarding the
modern history and political environment in India, I have quite a bit
to learn regarding Indian culture and I am certainly interested in
knowing more. A couple of weeks ago, we visited a new Indian
marketplace in the Dayton area and I checked out their selection of
DVDs. I had never seen any Bollywood movies before, and I was
very intrigued by their selection of films. I quickly settled on 
