A French poem about summer

L'été à Coutances, Victor Hugo

Ah ! l'équinoxe cherche noise
Au solstice, et ce juin charmant
Nous offre une bise sournoise ;
L'été de Neustrie est normand !

Notre été chicane et querelle ;
Son sourire aime à nous leurrer ;
Il se, rétracte ; il tonne, il grêle ;
Il pleut, manière de pleurer.

Mais qu'importe ! entre deux orages,
Ses rayons glissent, fiers vainqueurs,
Et la pourpre est dans les nuages,
Et le triomphe est dans les coeurs.

Cette grande herbe est mon empire.
Je suis l'amant mystérieux
De l'âme obscure qui soupire
Au fond des bois, au fond des cieux !

Je suis roi chez les fleurs vermeilles.
Quelle extase d'être mêlé
Aux oiseaux, aux vents, aux abeilles,
Au vague essor du monde ailé !

L'arbre creux vous offre une chaise ;
L'iris vous suit de son oeil bleu ;
On contemple ; il semble qu'on baise
Le bord de la robe de Dieu.

Source: http://www.poesie-francaise.fr

The first of summer

It is 32˚C in Toronto. Finally.

Feeds Awry

A small note to my feeds subscribers: I know the feeds are acting up, I'm not sure what's happening. I am trying to get Feedburner to get its act together, or to get mine together. Sorry.

Of debit cards and such

Heard on the radio a couple of days ago:

"Statistics show that Quebecers use debit cards for almost all their
purchases, a distinctly different behaviour from the rest of Canada.
The radio host ventures to guess why this is so:
1. Quebecers have no wish to see Her Majesty's face every time they use cash.
2. Quebecers don't approve of the fact that the notes are labelled in
English first, followed by French. (Bill 101.)

Hindi films recommendations

So, the Hindi film evening went very well, and both my friends enjoyed the movie to the end. Here are some recommendations: I've selected the ones that moved me, some made well before I was born, but which I discovered through my dad's relentless efforts to make us learn more about them. Additional suggestions are welcome.

Awaara (1951 - Raj Kapoor.
The tramp and the lady, where not everything is actually rosy.
Teesri Manzil (1966) - Vijay Anand.
A thriller, with a love story, and Shammi Kapoor's crazy dance moves.
Abhimaan (1973) - Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Two singers, husband and wife, and what happens when ego enters the equation.
Sholay (1975) - Ramesh Sippy
The ultimate Indian Western movie: two close friends, bandits, revenge, love.
Silsila (1981) - Yash Chopra
Love, duty, betrayal, passion.
Kaash (1987) - Mahesh Bhatt
A husband and wife separate, with a child in the middle.
Lamhe (1991) - Yash Chopra
A movie that ended up being controversial for no reason, with a great love story.
Dilwale Dulhanie Le Jayenge (1995) - Aditya Chopra
THE love story par excellence: the beginning of Punjabi everything in Hindi films.
Virasat (1997) - Priyadarshan
A young man returns from his studies abroad to a rural context that threatens to disrupt all his civilised lessons learnt.
Dil Se (1998) - Mani Ratnam
Shocking, unexpected, heart-rending. No taboos, and no reason in love.
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) - Karan Johar
Sweet, fun and heart-skipping moments, particularly when you're a young girl dreaming of THE one.
Dil Chahta Hai (2001) - Farhan Akhtar
The coming-of-age movie that marked a turning point in Hindi cinema for many of my generation.
Lagaan (2001) - Ashutosh Gowariker
A group of villagers fight for tax exemption from the British through a cricket game. Beautifully done.
Devdas (2002) - Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Opera-like grandeur and excess, gorgeous costumes, a retake on a classic. Went to Cannes, a favourite of many French people I've met.
Yuva (2004) - Mani Ratnam
India's youth represented by 3 very different characters whose lives somehow intersect on a bridge.
Black (2005) - Sanjay Leela Bhansali
A pioneer movie in India. Bare emotions, great acting.
Taare Zameen Par (2007) - Aamir Khan
A sweet story about a dyslexic boy and how he finds his place inside mainstream schooling.
Guru (2007) - Mani Ratnam
Loosely based on Dhirubai Ambani's life: a powerful story with occasional slip-ups, but beautiful music and worth a watch.
3 Idiots (2009) - Raj Kumar Hirani
Adapted from Chetan Bhagat's "Five Point Someone". Poignant in its description of a competitive, rote-learning society, with hope at the end. Also, great humour, love and songs.
Band Baajaa Baraat (2010) - Maneesh Sharma
My favourite of 2010: New Delhi, lovable characters, great cinematography, fun and drama. Above all, total wedding dhamaka.
Peepli Live (2011) - Anusha Rizvi
A satire on the government program that's been set up to compensate the family of the farmers who commit suicide every year because they can't repay their loans.
Dhobi Ghat (2011) - Kiran Rao
Slice of life movie: 4 characters whose lives intersect in New Delhi, with a look at each one's soul-searching.

If you reached the end of this list, maybe you're brave enough to attempt to watch some of them, even if you've never seen a Hindi film before.

France Explained

This hilarious post in my feeds this morning.

Some excerpts:

"France is a very old country with many treasures, such as the Louvre and Euro Disney.

Among its contributions to western civilization are champagne, Camembert cheese and the guillotine."

"One continuing exasperation for American visitors is that local people insist on speaking in French, though many will speak English if shouted at."

"American travelers are advised to travel in groups and wear baseball caps and colorful trousers for easy recognition."

"SAFETY
In general, France is a safe destination, although travelers must be aware that from time to time it is invaded by Germany.

Traditionally, the French surrender immediately."

Source: The Paris Blog

Myopia and Impressionism

When you're very myopic, all you need to do at any time is remove your glasses and the world becomes an Impressionist painting.

As a kid at a long boring wedding ceremony, removing my specs made all the fairy lights turn into large bright drops, creating what I later learnt were bokeh-like effects. On a rainy day, a dreary grey landscape only needs a red umbrella and suddenly you're looking at an abstract masterpiece. The quirky (if slightly dangerous) thing too is that if you first see something without your glasses (e.g. waking from a nap), really familiar objects can, for a second, look totally different, launching your mind into new imaginings.

Sitting in the bus behind a rain-spotted window, the changing effects are intriguing: it's the equivalent of setting your camera at its widest aperture on manual focus. With my specs on, I focus on infinity and the raindrops on the pain are almost unnoticeable. Without my specs, the focus is on the rain drops and the background becomes mere washes of colour. It's quite fun.

How does your country rank?

I don't mean here: "What is its rank?" on the latest trend of city and country surveys that pitch one against the other. Rather, how is this ranking being calculated, and does it work for you? This week, I'm hearing about Canada having ranked 2nd on the happiness scale worldwide. "Happiness scale?", you say. Yes. The OECD Happiness scale. (Because apparently that's where we go to understand what happiness truly means). I do understand why Canada would rank high. This country is a truly wonderful place to live in. Given the increasing number of rankings being developed however (Monocle, The Economist and more), it is worth a deeper look into what factors into the decisions.

Below are extracts from an FT article questioning the matter:

"I spoke to Joel Kotkin, a professor of urban development, and asked him about these surveys. “I’ve been to Copenhagen,” (Monocle’s Number 2) he tells me “and it’s cute. But frankly, on the second day, I was wondering what to do.” So, if the results aren’t to his liking, what does he suggest? “We need to ask, what makes a city great? If your idea of a great city is restful, orderly, clean, then that’s fine. You can go live in a gated community. These kinds of cities are what is called ‘productive resorts’. Descartes, writing about 17th-century Amsterdam, said that a great city should be ‘an inventory of the possible’. I like that description.”

“The other big question,” says Kotkin, “is can someone coming from somewhere else improve themselves, reinvent themselves? Is there upward mobility?” The top cities score badly again. London and New York are magnets for immigrants precisely because they allow those kinds of new beginnings. They do have class structures but they are increasingly malleable."

-Edwin Heathcote, "Liveable vs lovable", Financial Times, May 6, 2011-

The distinction between lovable and livable is a fair one. I would also find it more valuable to look to indices such as the Human Development Index and the Gini Coefficient.

I'd rather let happiness reside in the realm of human possibilities than on an OECD list.

The political power of religion

India's extreme-right RSS party is considering an alliance with Baba Ramdev, who himself has clear political ambitions:

“The numbers have been worked out,” says a close associate of Ramdev. “On an average, we will have at least 50,000 people at the Ramlila grounds everyday till the dharna lasts. We have 80,000 yoga centres all over the country. People have been mobilised to participate in the fast and dharna all across these centres. Even if 10 people per centre come out and fast with us, we will have eight lakh people fasting everyday,” he adds. To that, factor in the 2.5 lakh panchayats that Baba Ramdev has been working on in the last two months, and you can see the numbers are staggering. “Village committees have been formed in these 2.5 lakh panchayats. That alone will give us 10 lakh supporters,” points out Baba Ramdev’s associate.

Outlook India, May 2011

Personal Note: Your mind is yours alone. Never give it up to anyone.

Who wants to watch a Hindi film?

If you ever give me the least chance, I'll make you watch a Hindi film. All you need to do is show a sliver of interest. My best experiments have been introducing Hindi films to people who had never seen one before.

With a Quebecer friend of mine, we went to see Devdas (2002) in Montreal. I don't assume that everyone will be as impressed as I am, so I always offer the option of leaving half-way through, or, if we're watching it at home, to stop and do something else. Devdas is a particularly heavy film. She was completely gripped by it. At one point she was moved to tears. In that theatre, in a totally unexpected way, we found common ground. She didn't have to ever watch another one. I'll always remember that she was able to let go of her pre-conceived notions long enough to open herself to the experience.

Two years ago, when L's 19-year old cousin visited from Paris, I suggested we watch Dhoom 2. She enjoyed it, and even introduced her mum to the music when she went back!

More recently, a French friend of ours suggested I bring a Hindi film for the evening. I chose Band Baajaa Baaraat. We had great fun. I also then discovered she had spent one month in India, loved it and would like to go again.

This week, I'm giving it another try with two girlfriends. We'll make a night of it, with Indian food. It can be as fascinating to me to hear how others feel about a Hindi film as as it is to watch the film itself. And often, if it doesn't work with one film, it could always work with another.

PS: In case you're wondering, the films are always subtitled in English.

Hindi cinema's long song-and-dance to now

This is an update of a post I wrote in 2004. It still holds.
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Indian cinema is going through several evolutions. While glitter and glam will likely always figure in Hindi films (and the world is a more beautiful place for it), the art is moving towards bringing formerly "arthouse" films into the mainstream and younger directors are making films that reflect their truth.

One landmark for my generation was Dil Chahta Hai: a plot that was less linear, but that went deeper in character development while still catering to the 'commercial' crowd, a film made by then 26-year old Farhan Akhtar.

Many stereotype Hindi cinema for its actors running around trees. Yes, of course! There's room for that. But there's more to the industry or to the art. Here's my take on it.

The 50s and 60s saw some of the best cinema: black and white studies of the common man (at that time Awaara or Shree 420), the naïvety of love through graceful, subtle looks and sobre sarees and dhotis or suits. Raj Kapoor being one of those I watched, his films had messages about human nature, corruption, temptation, some of the less cheery shades of humanity. There was the one and only Satyajit Ray.

The 70s witnessed Raj Kapoor at films again, but directing other actors, and going for choli-less chokris in white sarees, the precursors to today's vixens! Colour everywhere, and candy-flavoured stories. The full-blown tree-scampering, the puffed-up hair and some very quirky music. Some of R.D. Burman's best music, and rarer but successful incursions into deep stories. The 70s also gave us Sholay, a must-see of Indian cinema, along with scores of films featuring the lanky, handsome Amitabh Bachchan. Films where the working-class hero fought for his people against the oppressor: full-swing Socialism. The fights were absurd, the heroines mere decoration and the hero's mother tearful. The Feminists hated it, the Leftists loved it. Adorno would have at least liked it more than what followed.

The 80s, decade of disco, crimped hair and just plain dismay, except for the music. Saree-clad heroines finding more creative ways of running around trees, minus the social issues. The hair was bad, the clothes were bad, the make-up quite quite horrible, the hero's mother blind and tearful, the mother-in-law wicked. The music sometimes came above the lot, and some of the best songs we hum today come from then.

The 90s offered a mixed lot. The first half probably still reeked quite strongly of the nasty 80s things, but more of the American 80s (which is no great relief). And the middle and end of the decade gave us Chandni, Lamhe, films which, if not political, were at least less caricaturing. The hero's mother could now smile, she could even be cool.

Leaping to the 2000s, the early years of the decade moved the industry through fast paces. The quality of film-making went up, in part due to swelling budgets, and in part due to talent and competition. But gone were the days of out and out socialist recriminations. If the blue-collar worker used to go to the theatre to watch his hero fight his cause and come out of it still facing his real world, now he went to watch the hero fight another class' cause: he saw Devdas in opera-like proportions, and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham where people own private helicopters. The mothers rivalled with their heroine-daughters in looks, style and even dance!

Of course India's (upper) middle class had grown, so much so apparently that the whole Yash Chopra school of film-making condemned heroes to have at least five Ferraris and heroines to only wear designer creations. The gawkiness had gone out of most films, and so had the sense. I love a corny Hindi film as much as the next person. But there was no intelligent meaning to be extracted: just put your brains on "luxury pause" for three hours.

Since the late 2000s, I feel the industry has evolved for the better. Mani Ratnam's incisive (Tamil-dubbed-in-Hindi) cinema is a saving grace. Aamir Khan has made interesting choices for the films he produces. Younger film-makers are showing that you don't always need to shoot the NRIs: Indians have a life worth recounting too. Yes, always against the backdrop of Indian music and songs. It does actually make sense to me that actors and actresses should suddenly break into a ditty (or an elaborate production) in the middle of nowhere. Ever heard of "suspension of disbelief"? But music is also being used in more creative ways.

To me, modernising Hindi films means going back to some of the original essence while reflecting today's diverse reality. It does not mean getting rid of the song and dance, drama or strong emotions. Sometimes, too sleek is just too dead. The next few years should bring more ideas and techniques forward, including new stories. Lots to look forward to...

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PS: I speak here of the films that make it to the multiplexes and some of the smaller budget well-known ones. Parallel to those, Hindi films are produced in thousands each year, with their share of low-end duds, as in all other film industries.

Favourite moment

One of my favourites moments in the week is Sunday morning.

I love waking up early, in a quiet house. Real freedom to me is being up with the open question: what shall we do? In those two hours, all is still with the world. A few birds twitter far off, the tall tree outside our window sways its branches mutely, the house makes its own silence. Your mind is a blank canvas and the best thoughts stroll in.

Then slowly, the first stirrings begin. A few more vehicles start fading into the noise, whizzing by on the street below. A child's high pitch chatter reaches you as her mother takes her to an art class. Some elderly voices come through as they congregate to one of the multiple churches. Two squirrels scamper up and around the tree trunk.

Your stomach rumbles and says, time for breakfast. Let's wake everyone up!

Discovering the Rockies

Our first visit to the Rockies. This is how breath-takingly beautiful it is:

It inspired awe, peace and surrender to the wonder of our planet.

The DSK debacle

Everyone has known for a while, of course. If it is true that he molested the woman in question, the saddest thing is what happened to her.

The next saddest thing though, is the society that allowed this man to believe that his behaviour was normal, that he could aspire to lead the Socialist Party despite well-documented slip-ups and misbehaviour, and that he somehow deserved deferential treatment irrespective of how he acted.

It presents critical questions for France about where it draws the line between flirting and offending, daring and aggressing, persuading and forcing.

This event also brings me back to the question that always remains for me: are Clinton, Schwarzenegger, Edwards, Strauss-Kahn all samples of one personality type that allowed the illusion of their omnipotence to cloud their judgment? Or are they simply as human as anyone, and does that darkness lurk inside each of us, demanding to be reined in each day by our values and beliefs and choices?

Further relevant reflections in this Guardian article.

Toronto in Spring

After three weeks of relentless rain and grey, blue sky is finally reminding us that it exists. The stretch from the stop to my house smells of blooming lilac. While some bare toes are making their way onto the streets, the majority of us spent the wet days in this attire.

Rubber boots, the same ones used by planters in Mauritius and by anyone who usually does garden work, are all the rage here. And when it's drizzling and there are puddles everywhere, style is secondary. The best deal is when practical is suddenly redefined as stylish. Thank you Kate Moss for making it normal that we now traipse about town with boots that my grandma would not be caught dead in. Totally unlady-like, but SO cozy.


And they work super well when you need to walk into an icy lake, as you so often have to, you know?

Authenticity

This blog went to sleep at around the time that Facebook became part of my life. Many other things changed and I could not dedicate the time I wanted to make it something I could be happy with. I'm coming back to it, because I want to share my thoughts: on the world, on my readings, on life. But also, because I'm tired of being formatted.

Facebook has become this place where anything goes, and where what was meant to be a community space now feels like a trapped crowd.  Twitter is an interesting way to direct traffic to information, and to listen in, but the 140 characters become suffocating. It redirects creativity toward brevity rather than toward accuracy. Both also contribute to a great deal of energy investment into perception management. Life is too short for that.

I'm coming back to some level of freedom, and one of the triggers was this article from Scott Bourne:

Authentic photographers have stopped trying to be what the world wants them to be. That’s rigid thinking. They have to be able to first see themselves from different angles and then, be able to see others from different angles. Finally, they need to be able to see the world and their subjects from different angles. In other words, few authentic photographers are rigid. If you have a rigid view of any of these things – if you’re not flexible in your thinking…if you’re not open-minded….if you can’t consider other points of view, it’s hard to be authentic. You’re responding to what you think you should be doing instead of what you really want to be doing. If you’re too rigid for your own good you’re probably trying to tell the story that someone else thinks you should be telling with your camera and not your own.

- Scott Bourne, photographer, Photofocus, May 4th, 2011 -