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[shikhajohn]

What one Indian soldier wrote home during WW1

Khalil Ullah (Hindustani Muslim) to Ganiullah (Muttra District, UP)

[Urdu] 2nd Lancers, France 3rd March 1918

I am sending you a picture of an American lady aviator, I want you to study it and see what the women of Europe and America are doing. I want you to contrast them with our womenfolk, and to think what sort of education they can give to our children when they themselves are lacking in knowledge and training. I am hopeful that, if you pay careful attention to what I have written, you will be able to effect some improvement. The advancement of India lies in the hands of the women; until they act, India can never awake from her hare’s dream. Forgive me if I have spoken too strongly.

  - See more at: http://www.caravanmagazine.in/vantage/what-indian-soldiers-first-world-war-wrote-home-about#sthash.vozXR49W.dpuf

[shikhajohn]

It's funny how my movie viewing's shaping up. 

Get Carter & Dirty Harry - 2 movies I watched close to each other. Both 1971 movies. And both with the tabla playing in bits. Obviously Indian music was getting a lot of attention then. Shows here.

And then sometime later I got to watching 'Zodiac' (what a film!). In Zodiac, they're watching 'Dirty Harry' in one scene. Also the actual officer of Zodiac was an inspiration for Harry Callahan. Ditto for the killers.

Movie trivia unearthed. Watching so many movies so close to each other does this to you! 

[shikhajohn]

"You may not be able to force yourself to be creative in the moment, but you can force yourself to just work. Even if what you’re coming up with is gibberish at first, you’re unsqueaking the wheel. And you might not notice the benefits right away, but after 15 minutes or so, you’ll find them. You just have to push through it. There’s no trick. When your brain says “No, I have nothing for you,” just do it anyway. Eventually you’ll train your brain like a dog. It’s really just getting around your sometimes-counterproductive internal monologue."

- Chris Hardwick

[shikhajohn]

Should every parent read 'East of Eden"?

The first time I'd read this, it moved me immensely. A gripping story from beginning to end filled to end with human frailties and strengths. And such a rich cast of characters. And today, 4 years later (2014) as I re-read it, the the exact same feelings and more, came flodding back.

<There's pleasure in re-reading, a finer attention to detail and more to take away. and whatever one wishes to write about it should happen hot and fresh off the oven.>

The words, 'timschel', will now haunt me forever. The story more finely etched now. Not a moment of boredom. And I'll admit, even a few tears here and there ( I seem have become a bit more weepy). And then 'timshel', which is "Thou mayst". 'Thou mayst triumph over evil'. The whole idea that you have a choice - to take the moral path of humanity or not. No need to blame it on genetics and gods. You may choose. Sets us free.

Ad it's reprise of the Cain and Abel story. For the way in which Steinbeck has etched ou his Cain and Abel (or Cains & Abels), going into their psyche, I think that, if I ever have children I would re-read this book. If I had to recommend a child rearing book to any new, would be parents, it would be this.

<nagging doubt - maybe I over praise it?>

And let's clear this, I have a dislike for churches/religions per se, but there's no doubt about some of awesome wisdom dripping from their holy texts. 

[shikhajohn]

Time travelling

It's a little, weather beaten book that I picked up from god knows where. Aldous huxley (who I've heard of) and it's called, "Beyond the Mexique Bay". A little travelogue, about Mr. Huxley's travel to the West Indies. The beginning of the book is hilarious. The bits in between, interesting in parts and not-so in others. But here's a bit that caught my attention. He speaks of the Spanish conquistadors and how they must have manged to take Indian lands without a fightback. And he says,

"...the strength of the Indians is the strength of resistance, of passivity. Matched against these eager, violently active creatures from across the seas, they had no chance - no more chance than a rock against a sledge-hammer."

It seems to have been very similar to the ideas I read in Pankaj Mishra's "From the Ruins of the Empire". I always wondered, why did we not put a significant enough fightback? Why did we just accept our new masters? Who most decidedly used cunning as much as might. I must go back to the Mishra book. Till then this seems like a good reason. With caveats I suppose.

(On a side note, this book was fist published in 1934. It has delightful first chapter - hilarious - poking fun at travel advertisements. Some things just don't change. And what better way to time travel than an old book? As far as the time travel is to the past.)

[shikhajohn]

Jury Fever!

Jury fever is on! 

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

[shikhajohn]

Of Cult Indi-Indies

It was movie that was asking to be checked out. A few hours spent in the library today (bunking what I thought was a wholly unnecessary class), I found myself engrossed in an article in The Caravan. About a guy named Pradip Krishen and a movie he made called "In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones".

A movie that is 3 years younger than me. <Gulp>

It's interesting on many counts. Pradip Krishen is Arundhanti Roy's husband. The scrip/screenplay is by Roy herself. She acts in it too. Set in an Architecture school so bound to be semi-autobiographical. Oh and it's SRK's 1st feature film. Technically. Wow. (Was it a well-oiled "Madrasi" that he was playing - I just got the feeling). And the movie has taken on a cult status, apparently the FTIIians love it.

It connected so well. The language (in a way), the smoking, the attitudes - towards friends and teachers. They're always listening to The Beatles mostly and The Doors. And it's a 70's setting. But i could find a very similar if not the exact same scene even now! Just for a second I felt that, generational-ly, I might in line with the 70s (which from an age perspective isn't too great)!

Al right, alright. I relax. I'm typing this out on my keyboard. Powered by the internet. Secure in the knowledge that I belong to my generation. Unique in its own way. Yet borrowing from the vast unknown, unlived past. 

[shikhajohn]

How I Know Art

For all my (layman's) knowledge and interest in art - I thank the Reader's Digest. RD back cover art/paintings were my art 101. They eventually introduced me to Indian art. Thank god the father collected so many!

[shikhajohn]

Whoa! Salinger and vadas?

Wow! J.D Salinger liked rasam vada! 

Source - Pradeep Sebastian, Hindu Lit Review

I love Pradeep Sebastian!

[shikhajohn]

Wha did I just hear?

Oh....my.....god.

<Listening as I type>

What heavenly music is this that I've never heard before?! Sure, the name rings a bell thanks to Hollywood. Accidental youtube-ing - I love it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qAAPRbRSc0

[shikhajohn]

How trippy for 1890.

[shikhajohn]

Rock + Electronica

Linkin Park and Steve Aoki.

15 year old me didn't anticipate this. Trying to stay in tune as oldish rocksters find increasing irrelevance thanks to the pied piper, the EDM DJ. Not a completely new phenomenon. Think Korn and dubstep (was it)?

15 year old me didn't know EDM. Funny. I flop around to it now on the dance floor. Hatred gave way to tolerance even followed by love. (It is good when you're drinking and dancing!)

This trend - collaborations between rock bands and Djs? Not so sure. Not my old bands. The new ones can if they want. I'd like to believe that bands I listened to as a teenager can still be relevant without the infusion of EDM into it. Because, dammit, I wasn't a teenager so far back. Or maybe I was.

Dammit.

[shikhajohn]

State TVs

China's state tv broadcaster abbreviated is "CCTV".

Funny.

[shikhajohn]

Selfies

Robert Cornelius took the first selfie in history?

What are self-portraits by painters if not selfies? So, the first selfie ought to be the first self-portrait in the recorded history of art, no? 

[shikhajohn]

Art and Literature: Where the twin meet

The Baudelaire project continues on/off (I knew it would be like this). Meanwhile, we've also started an ambitious art education by way of "Art of the 20th Century" by some 4 Germanic sounding names. First study is Manet. And who should pop up while I read an intellectual analysis of "The Music at the Tuileries"? Baudelaire bhai. Our guy was all for considering normal, every day life as subject worthy of high art. He's even in the painting. One of the many faces. Interesting.

[shikhajohn]

The Baudelaire Project

Read all. One a day. Or more if you wish.

Why?

I don't know. 

Part education. Part it-caught-my-fancy.

Why Baudelaire? Maybe something to do with the beatniks? Perhaps. Don't quite remember what triggered the need to read up on him. It actually started a few months back. Beginning of the year. Picking it up again now.

Why?

No idea. At least not yet.

Study material - http://fleursdumal.org/

[shikhajohn]

so many....so, so many!

damn! so many things on the net to read. so many to follow. so many to keep up with. following all yet following none, really.