Apu WHO?

... in July 29th Indian Express

His name is Apu Nahasapeemapetilon… A-pu Na-ha-sa-peem-apet-ilon… APU NA-HA-SA-PEE-MA-PET-IL-ON. Oh, just forget it. Apu is fine. This beloved Simpsons’ character was, for years, one of the only representations of Indians in American society: seemingly unpronounceable surname, accent thick as muck, menial job as the sole Kwik E Mart attendant. Today, Indians or characters of Indian origin are doctors, geneticists and specialists in astrophysics. Have American prejudices changed? Have Indians changed? Or are Indians becoming Americanised?

In the beginning, American TV created Apu. Few would argue that for a long time, he was the archetypal ‘Indian’ to a greater Western audience – and if we’re talking about stereotypes, an ignorant audience at that. But for some, the satirical cartoon show was not far off the mark. “Apu was portrayed as he should have been, as a thrifty businessman who cut corners where ever he could,” says Rishi Alwani, a long-time Simpsons fan. “Now, everything’s too politically correct for its own good and TV producers are always walking in a tightrope,” he continues.

Another avid Simpsons follower, Flavian Patrao, 23, describes the beloved Hindu as an exaggeration of how Indians are, but not the only representation. He sites the hugely successful comedy, The Big Bang Theory, which portrays physicist Rajesh Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) as a different kind of Indian. Educated, hard-working, and paralysing shy with girls, Koothrappali represents the hordes of young Indians who go to the US dreaming of a different life. “I identify with both characters, but more with Koothrappali” says Patrao, who is a research consultant. “But both are hilarious”.

Television personality Archana Puran Singh, remembers The Simpsons rather vaguely, but Apu’s “appauling” accent instantly springs to memory. But as Indians investigate crimes and solve seemingly unsolvable medical cases, Singh no longer identifies herself with these Westernised Indian characters and their perfect white teeth. Referring to Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) in Heroes, a geneticist with super-human strength, Sing says, “There is no Indian-ness about him. He talks with an American accent.” And with a hint of disdain adds: “these characters are not Indian, they’re American”.

Anil Kapoor, who plays Omar Hassan along side Kiefer Sutherland in 24, sees more and more Indian actors going to the West. Talking with an Indian Express reporter earlier this year, he said that for him, this influx of Indian talent is a welcome change. He concedes that the plots and characters are necessarily different than what would be found here at home, but the audiences are not the same either. For Kapoor, exposure is what counts.

Whether or not Indians on the Southern Continent can identify with those portrayed on the television screen, at least now the panoply of characters has expanded from one to many. And if Anil Kapoor is right, this is just the beginning.

Indian Marriage

So these are a few photos from the wedding that I went to on Sunday. The groom is Natasha's mom's cousin. Natasha is standing next to me, also in red.

First, we waited while the groom got dressed (which took ages - worse than a woman, and longer than the bride). We ate sweet snacks while he got ready.

Then a mask is put on him so that he can't see.

He then is goes out to the horse, where people are waiting and cheering. There is a band playing the entire time (band means two guys with drums).

Normally, the horse is supposed to take the groom all the way to the temple, but in this case, he went 5 minutes and then took his Suzuki Swift.

The bride's family is waiting for the groom (and in this case the bride as well), and her sisters are supposed to try to steal his shoes, while his family protects them. In the end, it was a tie: one shoe each.

Then, at the temple we sat cross legged while things happened. At one stage, the groom held a pink scarf, which the bride also held and then they walked around some sort of temply/pyramidy looking thing. Everything happened in Hindi and I am fuzzy on the details.

It was nice. And afterward, there was food. Of course.

(And I apologize for the format of the photos - I tried to rearrange them, but without success.)

Bollywood... encore

C'est très bete, mais assez drole...

Hier, j'ai été à une conférence de presse pas particulièrement intéressante pour un couturier indien qui j'ai rencontré il n'y a pas longtemps. C'était dans un lieu sympa et après il y avait un diner assez impressionant.

Lors de la soirée, j'ai parlé avec mon premier 'star' bollywoodien. Il s'appelle Neil Nitin Mukesh et c'est le deuxième de la gauche sur l'affiche.

On a discuté les montagnes rocheuses à Disney World en Floride et il m'a dit qu'il ne va plus sur ces genres de trucs après avoir sauter 9 étages dans son dernier film. Maintenant il a le vertige.

C'est une petite expérience ludique que je voulais en partager. Ma vie est remplie de moments droles et décalés. Ce n'est pas que la tristesse.

Je suis une star!

J'aimerais vous partager un evenement bizarre qui m'est arrivée dimanche.

Je suis allée au band stand, un lieu sympa à coté de l'océan. Je me promenais, et comme d'habitude, tout le monde me regardait. Ca commence à devenir normal.

Je regardais l'eau et j'ai constaté que j'était derrière des personnes en train de prendre des photos. J'ai bougé pour pouvoir les laisser prendre les allentours magnifique. Au contraire, on m'a demandé de rester et de poser avec les filles.

On m'a pris en deux photos, et la deuxième fille a même sauté quand elle nous a vu dans son appareil. C'est bizarre.

Il n'y a rien d'autre à dire que c'est bizarre. On me prend en photo parce que je suis blanche. Je vous laisse reflicher.

(et j'ai pris des photos mais il y a un truc avec l'ordi et je n'arrive pas à les voir. Mais assurez-vous, il y aura les photos vont suivre)

Where’s the you in YouTube?

Article from July 18th print edition...

As the video-hosting site undergoes a makeover, users voice distaste for changes

JEN CARSWELL

TAKING a page from the worldwide web, the supremely popular video-sharing site YouTube has also decided to transform into a glitzier 2.0 version. Current users have the option of changing to a more aesthetic and participative page layout – but soon the switch will be mandatory. However the initial overhaul date has been delayed by weeks, perhaps months, because of still unsolved glitches. But forums and comment spaces are buzzing with unhappy YouTubers, fingers angrily expressing their distaste for the updated version. So, why all the fuss?
First things first: the new look. With a sleeker, sexier design – rounded edges, warmer colours – the user’s posted videos fill the screen, with the latest video in the main player. Underneath, reorganisable boxes house other features like friends, subscriptions and recent activity. At first glance, the new site seems more professional, with a less basement, messing-around-with-your-mates vibe.
But many YouTube fanatics are not at all impressed by the revamp. The YouTube blog, created specifically for the switch, is alight with negative comments. Japanlover97 says “I don’t care how many bugs there are, or when they’ll be fixed. Why “fix” something that isn’t broken?” While Selif adds, “the new one is over-bloated with flash and is a pain to work with. I like the channel design just fine without changing”. On Twitter, FattLip is “so happy the switchover to Beta is delayed, there are a lot of problems with it! Please reconsider forcing everyone to switch”.
Surfing from his desktop in Andheri, Supchats uses YouTube, like most of us, to find funny clips and movie trailers. So he doesn’t spend a lot of time on his personal homepage. “I think [the version]’s nice,” he e-messages, adding “it doesn't really make a difference to me, since I'm the kind of user who goes straight to the search bar anyway.”
Asfaq, 25, who uses YouTube nearly everyday doesn’t understand why people don’t like the new look. “I like the new design, there are more options to view videos and it’s easier to navigate.”
The majority of unhappy commentators simply want an option: to update or not to update. But despite YouTube’s usual freedom of expression, it is, after all, not a democracy.
The reasons behind the change are to allow a more customised look for users, to allow them to more easily navigate and to beef up security. Most importantly, all corners have been rounded, which will save on costly pixels. A lighter running model would allow YouTube to cut down operating costs – a measure that the Google-owned site desperately needs.
Internet giant Google refuses to give specific numbers, but estimates run anywhere from $100 million to $400 million. Twenty minutes of video are uploaded every minute and traditional advertising barely dents the website’s perennial deficit.
“When Facebook changed its look, it faced the same kind of backlash,” explains Adidya Nag, a senior analyst at PC World India. He is quick to point out that the YouTube ‘blackout’, asking users not to log on to the site for 24 hours on July 14, failed to gain substantial momentum. With few constructive comments, understanding the discontentment is difficult. “In a month everyone will be used to the new look and will have forgotten about the whole controversy,” adds Nag.

Living a lie

Compared to Paris, and many other places, Mumbai is very inexpensive (other than the rent, though I think I lucked out in that department). And so this means that I have the money to do things here that I would never be able to do in Paris or Canada for that matter.

I was talking with a friend yesterday who was absolutely gob-smacked that I had never had a pedicure in my life (or a manicure for that matter - though I did have those fake plastic nails put on once). Every week she has a manicure, pedicure and does waxing -- and someone comes to her house to do it!

And not only that, she has fruit and other groceries delivered. Her maid comes every day to do the cooking and the cleaning. I too have paid for maid services, but she comes infrequently and nothing really ever looks different (I can only really tell because usually my shoes have moved).

I have also been to some of the city's nicest restaurants (though some were for work). Nevertheless, in the ritziest hotels in Mumbai, the main dishes range from 500-1000 rupees (1000 rupees is about 15 euros). Which means that for me, compared to what I am used to paying, well, there is no comparison: everything is SO much cheaper!

And this has left me feeling like a bit of a fraud. You see, I have been a lowly student and living off of credit for the last year (and earning peanuts before that as a waitress) and so my lifestyle has become one based on frugality and the idea that less is more. I very literally buy clothes once a year during sales, IN CANADA, hardly ever eat out and splurge by going to the cinema (usually in the morning because it costs less).

So the culture shock is obviously enormous, in terms of the poverty and unbelievable change in how I live my life -- but there is also the shock of suddenly being among the movers and the shakers, and really for no reason other than I am foreign. I guess I should enjoy it, but for now, it still seems very strange.

Patience... patience

Hier, c'est la première journée que je ne suis pas venue au travail à cause des problèmes de ventre -- et surtout la faiblesse qui est le résultat de plusieurs jours sans pouvoir manger. J'ai une collègue qui m'a amenée un déjeuner 'non-épicé' (un peu épicé quand-même). Trop gentille.

Ce matin, je me suis mise une heure et demi au lieu de 25 minutes. Il y a des innondations partout sur les rails qui font que c'est vachement lent.

Au début toutes les femmes appelaient ce qu'il fallait pour prevenir que le train n'avançait pas... et puis, elle commençaient à parler entre elles, elles enlevaient leurs chaussures et leurs voiles (pour les muslamannes, puisque c'est un wagon que pour filles), et en gros acceptaient que nous étions bloquées. C'est comme ça.

Je vais partir bientot parce que la pluie n'a pas cessé pendant la journée et même maintenant ce n'est pas sur qu'il y aura des trains. Je vais sans doute aller chez Natasha (la fille sympa qui me nourrit) parce que je n'ai pas grande chose à manger chez moi et encore pire, que des livres pour occuper le temps (j'en ai terminé un hier). Je serai peut-etre obligée d'aider avec un petit ménage de chambre (c'est le projet de Natasha depuis plusieurs jours), mais c'est un petit prix pour la bouffe et un peu de companie.

Bon, allez! A l'aventure!!!!

Conan the Conqueror

Article from July 11th (supplements are not in the e-version of the newspaper)....

One month on, everyone has something to say about the late night switch from Jay Leno to Conan O’Brien on The Tonight Show. The latter 6”4’ red-headed comedian’s approach to comedy and chat shows clearly has little in common with the observational humour of his dapper predecessor. So, is Conan hilarious or horrible?

In India, where the legendary variety show has become as much of a cultural institution as chai, the transition has come as a welcome change. “I think that people might relate to Jay more, but Conan has a sharper whit. He’s fresher,” says Chetan Bhagat, author, screenwriter and talk-show enthusiast. For him, Jay Leno is more of an ‘everyman’ who appeals to the widest viewing, but O’Brien is cutting-edge.

Actress Suchitra Pillai finds the former host more likeable. “I’m a Jay Leno fan,” she states, matter-of-factly. She admittedly has nothing against the lanky Irish-American, but simply prefers Jay. “I think that both of them are good at what they do, but Leno has the advantage of a funny face,” Pillai adds. In any other business, that might not be construed as good thing.

And it’s true that both presenters bring different comedic material to the stage. Leno, with his distinctive shock of black hair, looked to newspapers and current events to make his audience laugh. He definitely benefited from the golden years of the Lewinsky scandal as well as the entire George W. Bush administration. Endless material.

Then Conan came along. “He has crazy mannerisms and is all about madness!” exclaims TV host and funny man Kunal Vijaykar. “He’s always jumping around and making funny faces,” continues Vijaykar, describing O’Brien’s more conceptual, skit-based comedy.

The first episode of the The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien highlighted the former ‘Saturday Night Live’ writer’s passion for sketches. An opening sequence showed O’Brien in his final stages of preparation before he takes the stage, having done everything, except move to L.A. We follow the long-legged host as he runs across the country to his fully refurbished Universal Stage 1 location – only to have left his keys back in New York.

And if the move to sunny California has been a shock to the pasty O’Brien, he too has left his mark on the sunshine state. “Leno never makes fun of his guests without them knowing, he doesn’t ruffle feathers. Conan is more edgy,” compares Shenaz Treasuryvala, who catches the show whenever she can. She worries, as do others, that Conan will have to curtail his former Late Night antics to appeal to the new Tonight Show audience.

If Indian television-watchers seem favourable to the show’s overhaul, American viewers are more sceptical. Having topped the time slot without fail for 14 years, Conan slipped to number two behind the Late Show with David Letterman after only one week.

But Leno fans won’t be wanting for long. NBC announced that the talk-show icon will host a new variety show at an earlier 10pm spot. If the Network’s move may seem hasty, Leno is keen, joking that “10 o’clock is the new 11:30”.

And let’s not forget that 17 years ago when Jay took over for the hugely popular Johnny Carson similar discontented rumblings questioned NBC’s decision. As the transition period continues, Conan has faith. For him, it’s simple: “make sure the show is funny and everything will take care of itself.”

Living with Terror

The first time that I went to Belfast I was amazed at the security measures, especially in the airport. It was pre-September 11th and the West was unconcerned by the threats that were all too often common-day occurrences in other countries. Here, random acts of violence, though rare, are of the highest priority.

Everyday when I come into my office I walk through a metal-detector and my bag is scanned for bombs (though I don't really understand how). In shopping malls, it's the same thing. When going to park the car during my frantic clothes-replacing operation, the trunk and glove compartment were searched for bombs.

At the internet café where I wrote one of my articles, I was asked for my passport so that later I could be traced -- in the event that I had used the computer to organise terrorist plots.

My big Bollywood press conference required an x-ray scan of my bag before heading into the 5-star hotel.

While everyone is unfased by the tougher security, I have to admit that I feel a little uneasy. Even if I don't feel any particular threat to my own safety, I am simply not used to being reminded that this is a place where bombs have gone off and machine guns have been fired: because I have so rarely been in such a place.

For the moment, there is no answer -- except for, you know, world peace, or at least peace in the East. So, as I repeat my newly adopted mantra of that which I can't change I simply accept, I pass through the checks with everyone else and try not to think about it too much.

C'EST LA FIN DU MONDE!

Vendredi soir il commençait à pleuvoir. Il pleuvait des cordes pendant au moins 24 heures. Je n'ai jamais vu quelque chose pareil. Et très sincèrement, j'avais peur que c'était la fin du monde, ou au moins, le début d'une innondation terrible (le genre qu'on voit sur la télé quand les voitures flottent et les personnes passent sur les radeaux).

Les rues sont devenues une série de lacs. La petite ruelle qui donne sur mon appartement s'était transformée en rivière tout court. L'eau coulait autour de mes chevilles. Et après une nuit et une journée entière -- je ne doutais que la pluie cesserait jamais.

J'ai été au travail samedi et vers 17h mes collègues m'ont annoncée qu'il fallait se dépêcher parce que sinon les trains risquaient de s'arrêter... histoire de trop d'eau sur les rails.

Mais pour les Indiens, c'était un jour comme n'importe quel autre pendant la mousson. Ils contuaient à rouler super vite et trop près, à aller au cinéma, et à passer leurs vies dans la rue. Les pauvres, sans toit, restaient trompés, toujours sous les gouttes violentes. On m'a dit qu'ils sont habitués... il faut mieux penser à autres choses.

.... heureusement, mes pensées étaient préoccupées par la fin du monde.

If the shoe fits

This article was published on Sunday, July 5th.....

I WALK up the stairs to my new office building, clomping right, left, right, left. Askance stares follow me as I climb. Then, a pause, as I approach the door leading into the corridor. I let out a slightly exasperated sigh and unzip my purse. After sifting through papers, pens and far too many kinds of lip balm, I find the sandals hidden at the bottom of my bag. Discretely, I slip one foot out of a knee-high marine-blue rubber boots and slip on gently the silver straps of my flip-flop. Then repeat with the other foot.

And so begins the delicate juggling act of constantly carrying two kinds of footwear. Something I advise all of Mumbai to get accustomed to when the cats and dogs are pouring out of the sky.

As I sit here typing, they lay at my feet, waiting. Acting as an informal umbrella holder, they remind me of a different place and time – when everyone wore wellies and no one thought twice about it. But here, it is an enigma and I am the only one.

The main advantage of having rubber boots in the monsoon is probably pretty evident. When it’s really coming down, I don’t have to worry about navigating through the puddles and the potholes: I can stomp in the dirtiest, deepest water without fear. My feet will stay dry and my ghost-white skin will stay that colour.

There is, of course, the added effort involved in traipsing around with a few extra pounds of rubber attached to your feet. When walking uphill or stepping on to high curbs, I can definitely feel the burn. But given my rather sedentary working day (I’m new on the job), it’s a welcome chance and, well, a free workout.

What about the fashion statement, you ask. It’s bold, yes. Forward thinking, possibly. A little crazy, most definitely. But fashion is about challenging what is expected and conventional and throwing caution to the wind. Though in this case, I am actually embracing caution, lovingly, and with both arms. So maybe fashion can be daring and practical at the same time.

The downside, other than looking fairly ridiculous, is managing to carry boots, shoes, a handbag, the occasional newspaper and the odd cup of chai. But I think I’ve worked it out. The shoes can go in the handbag, the umbrella can go in the boots (if they’re not too wet), the tea can sit on the newspaper. As long as I don’t breathe too heavily or make sudden movements, this balancing act seems to work.

As the cooling Mumbai rain falls, my boots insulate and warm my tired tootsies. Sometimes too much, sometimes not enough. At Leopold’s Café, they just absolutely had to come off. But at a play on the same night, where the air conditioning was on over-drive, my feet stayed toasty warm.

So, with still many more months of monsoon, my daily footwear ritual won’t be changing anytime soon. With my blue boots as my trusted travel companions, I may not be singing in the rain, but my feet, at least, are happy again.

Entrez... il me faut juste un pantalon

Lundi matin, je me suis reveillée, j'ai pris ma 'douche' (un pauvre ruisseau d'eau qui coule à peine) et commençait à m'habiller. Et là, j'entends la serrure qui ouvre. Ma voisine entre et commence à tourner des poignées et pousser des boutons. Moi, pendant ce temps, j'essaie de mettre une jupe discrètement pour que notre premier rentre ne se déroulerait pas avec moi en culottes.

J'ai presque réussi. Heureusement, je ne suis pas facilement gênée.

Elle est entrée parce qu'il n'y avait plus d'eau dans son appartement et parfois ça vient d'un problème dans mon petit domicile. D'habitude la mousson commence vers la fin juin, mais cette année la pluie vient juste de tomber. Le résultat est une punérie d'eau -- et dans mon cas, pas d'eau du tout pendant 2 jours.

Le premier matin, vers 8h, j'ai frappé sur la porte de mes voisins pour vérifier s'ils étaient aussi touché pas la panne. Pas aussi gravement que moi, ce qui m'a permis d'empreinter un seau d'eau. Trop bien!

Aujourd'hui, après les journées de pluie, j'ai pris ma 'douche' chez moi. La propriétaire m'a dit ce matin que la voisine, Mme Veena, a amasé, voire volé, mon eau. La voisine m'a dit hier que la propriétaire réfusait d'appeler un plombier. Moi, je m'en fout. Je suis trop contente d'avoir mon pauvre petit ruisseau de retour.

Bollywood: way, WAY too much

So I attended a press conference for the launch of a new Bollywood film called 'Luck' last night. It was held at the 5-star Intercontinental Hotel... by far the ritziest hotel that I have ever seen.

When I arrived with one of my colleagues Natasha, we were ushered into a make-shift theatre with a stage, two-video projectors on each side, and the word LUCK arching over the top. It was more like a mini-awards show than a press conference -- with a song, short monologues, and then a question and answer period.

To their credit, the stars of the film had fairly witty answers and seemed like pretty nice approachable people (except for the lead female, who all of the film journalists decided was a pretty big snob at our informal press conference afterward).

When it was done there was a full buffet, bar and nearly as many servers as guests (but that is how India is in general because labour is so cheap). If my tummy wasn't hurting, I'd have made out like a bandit!!!!

Here is a link to a video I found on YouTube. I don't know what language it is in because I can't play it at the cyber café I'm currently in. The tall, young actor Imran Khan is a bit of a heart throb over here. For once, I can see what all of the fuss is about. Not sure if I'll see the movie though. It's all in Hindi.

I've arrived, though my bag hasn't!

So for those non-French speakers, I thought that I would give you the play-by-play of my initial adventures here in the business capital of India.

My 9 hour flight from London went really rather quickly, as I spent it chatting to the man sitting next to me. His name is Milid, he lives in Houston, Texas, and he's back in India for the first time in five years. We chatted first about spirituality, then about all of the pitfalls of Indian life and then... well other stuff. He missed his flight in Houston which meant that he had to wait for 2 days before he could catch the next one. His visit was therefore reduced from a week to 5 days - and he won't get to go to the temple he wanted to. But it's okay. Maybe god doesn't want him to go to the temple or to stay too long. Maybe god didn't want my bag to come or for me not to get into the specialisation that I wanted for my journalism programme.

So, yes, I arrived in Mumbai but my bag decided to spend an extra day in London -- checking out the sights and whatnot. So my Saturday was spent buying a few essentials that I needed; Sunday, I stayed in the apartment nearly all day to wait for it to be dropped off. But the rather rocky start has been followed by relatively smooth sailing.

I am working in the features department for the Indian Express. It's okay so far. The girls are nice and everyone has been really helpful. I don't really have a lot of work to do yet, so that's the down side. I wrote a piece yesterday about art markets.

I now have a sim card and an apartment. I've figured out the train system (that is responsible for 1000 deaths every year), and I now know that you have to put a MUG in the coffee machine - otherwise the coffee goes everywhere!

I say "but in Paris..." far more often than I would like... "in Paris, the cup drops down automatically", for instance. I'm trying to work on that.

Today is the first day that I haven't really felt very well. My stomach is a little bit upset and I didn't sleep very well. I shall pause for now. Maybe try to think of a story or two.