#indian influence

[fortunaestalta]

[attackonlingling]

So enough of my ranting.

For those interested, the Javanese culture of Indonesia is very heavily influenced by Hinduism, brought by Indian priests and traders traveling to the Indonesian archipelago.

In fact, at one point, the western half of Indonesia was predominantly Hindu-Buddhist, before Islam became the dominant religion. Lore from India became heavily mixed with local lore, and this was encouraged especially in the kingdom of Majapahit in the 14th century, in which the arts flourished under Hayam Wuruk’s rule.

One such tale to flourish from the influence is the tale of Nagagini, a beautiful goddess able to change form into a great serpent-dragon (naga) when angry. She is said to have married Bhima, one of the 5 Pandavas, and from their union was birthed Antareja, a god of serpents.

Nagagini and Antareja do not exist in the Hindu epic Mahabharata because they are from the tales of the Javanese poets. JKR’s Nagini, though an entirely different character, may have been inspired by this Nagagini. This is an example of how cultures impact and integrate with each other.

Now I am not saying that the Fantastic Beasts franchise will handle the character “correctly” or be unproblematic. It is definitely possible for the character’s treatment to be highly problematic — we’ll find out when the movie airs. What I’m saying is, snake women have existed in the Indonesian culture, and it is not okay to say that the attribution to Indonesia is erroneous, or go so far as to strike out the word Indonesia and dismiss our heritage just because it doesn’t align with your agenda. JKR was not wise to not acknowledge the Naga creature’s Indian origin — don’t make the same mistake.

[couturemoda]

Elie Saab SS17 Couture - II

[prismdelta]

If I have to tell you all about my OCs, I have to tell you the Context of the World they live in.

So the World they live in is VERY similar to ours except there is Magic World the people don't know based on the Myths, Legends, Superstitions and Culture they are born in.

The story takes place mostly in Southeast and South Asia, so 4 of my OCs come from Singapore, 2 from the Magic World and 2 Mundane World.Here are the Characters:

Okazaki Takeo

Guardian of the Syonan Chureito Shrine, which is commonly known today as Bukit Batok Memorial, paired with his Grandfather, Okazaki Tsuki, a Japanese Rebel from WW2.He is from the Magic World and given position by the King of Singapura to fight Ghosts and Spirits as an Exorcist to prevent Magic Leakage to the Mundane World, to extend his work, he acts as a Vigilante in the Mundane World, he also speaks in a Okinawan Dialect or accent.

Aisyah d/o Atheer

The Naval Commander of the Kingdom of Singapura, an Orang Laut Warrior and Fisherman that guard the Magic Waters of Singapore from Invasions, she is the Daughter of a Famous General and Buginese Shaman Father, she is also a Childhood Friend of Takeo.Though Not only is she a Commander of the Navy, but also the King's secret Bodyguard and so she secretly works as Palace Maid to cut down Usurpers to the Throne.

Puli s/o Parashara

He is from Mundane World and lives in Siglap and a Expert on the Indian Silambam Martial Art .His father is a Police Officer and his mother runs an Indian Food Stall on the Ground Floor of their Flat.He is also 20 years old and about to Head into BMT, after skipping it with Nitec and Higher Nitec, but before he could even head to White Sands a Magic Incident happened and it dragged him and his Childhood friend into the Magic World.....litterally.If you hadn't guess right now he is Indian specifically Chetti Malaka, so he speaks Tamil and Chetti Malay.

Jade Mei

She is a Peranakan Chinese girl that lives in a Peranakan Shophouse, her Deceased Father was an Air Pilot and was Malay while her Mother was a Combat Medic and Chinese.She also have a Grandparents but doesn't really like talking to them, but will communicate with her Great Grandmother in Baba Malay to not let anyone know their Conversations while learning how to do Batik.She is still in School, specifically ITE College and currently studying Fashion Design, she is also Puli's Childhood Friend and while seeing him off to BMT in White sands, a Magic Incident happened and they are dragged into the Magic World.

So here are some Terms that if you are not Singaporean or Southeast Asian in general you probably won't Get but will be explained:

BMT

-The Dreaded Acronym of every Male in Singapore, BMT stands for 'Basic Military Training' the right age to enter BMT is 18 and above and it's Mandatory, sometimes when you're 16 as well but idk how that one works, Puli is 20 years old so he basically decided that he will persue a Higher Education first before entering the Army however you are only allow to do that up to a Polytechnic Diploma.

ITE college(Nitec and Higher Nitec)

-Basically College, except you have no Dorm Rooms and they mostly teach you Technical Skills that is require of the Industry that you choose to Study, so Jade is in ITE and studying in the Nitec of Fashion Apparel Production & Design, because she wants to become a Fashion Designer and so if she wants she could go to Higher Nitec where things become a little Harder but it's the Higher Chance of getting a Job in her field of expertise so she would probably enter either Visual Merchandising or Retail & Online Business.

Orang Laut, Buginese, Chetti Malaka and Peranakan Chinese

Orang Laut are basically the Indigenous people of Johor Malaysia and Singapore, historically they are fierce warriors that guard Singapore's Waters to the Straits of Johor, they mostly lives in Boats and if they do build a home it's mostly for short amount of time.These Days you don't see them alot, the last time that they were thriving were the 1970s, in Pulau Semakau, an Island but nowadays it's a Landfill but however unlike America putting their Natives in Reservations we actually give them a home on the Mainland, and they can actually visit the Island whenever they feel like it.

Buginese people are a Ethnic group that mostly lives in South Sulawesi of Indonesia, in Singapore we don't have alot nowadays BUT we have Bugis Street back then in 1960s to 1980s, that place was basically a playground for Trans people and Cross dressers, however that didn't last to today because Singapore wanted to lower sexual Explicity, which is Understandable because it was considered a Red Light District and Crime during those time were ALOT.

Chetti Malaka, an Ethnic group that is

S L O W L Y Dying, they are basically Descendants of South Indian and Sri Lankan people mix with Malay people and Chinese, they live in Malacca, Malaysia, mostly but Puli's family lives in Singapore, I don't know much about the Chetti Malaka, but I do know that most of their culture is based on Malay and Indian Culture with Chinese, Dutch and Portuguese influences, they also speak a type of Malay dialect, called Chetti Malay.

Peranakan Chinese

Exactly like Chetti Malaka, but it's just Chinese and Malay, most of the Chinese that came to Singapore were MOSTLY from the South so like,Fujian, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macau, Guangdong and Guangxi, that came and then married Malay men and Women and then the Peranakan Chinese were Born just the Chetti Malaka we have our own form of Malay, which I very much would like to learn, it's called Baba Malay, every Baba Malay could be Different cause the Provinces we come in have different Dialects so the way say things might be Different.

Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong speak Cantonese just differently, one is unfiltered Cantonese, the other two have British and Portuguese influences.

Hainan speak Hainanese and Hakka.

Guangxi speaks Zhuang and Cantonese.

Fujian speaks Min Chinese or Hokkien, this one is the most Common these days despite Younger Generation not knowing how to speak Hokkien.So if you mix them with Malay you do get Baba Malay but it all depends on the Family and how they speak it.

Syonan Chureito Shrine/Bukit batok memorial

Okay this is Simple, a WW2 memorial it used to be a Japanese Shrine built by Australian P.O.W during the Japanese Occupation but they burnt it down leaving only but the Stairs of the shrine Behind, this only exist in the story because Magic.

Story terms:

Mundane Singapore

So the story going to take place in Singapore first but later I will Branch out further.So mundane Singapore, is the Late 90s and Early 2000s, so the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the Financial crisis of 2007–2008 go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.So my two Characters would be wearing 90s and 2000s clothes, but don't be alarmed when you see something 70s and 80s inspired, because Asian Fashion from 90s and 2000s were different from America and Europe.

Magic Singapore

Based on the Legendary Kingdom of Singapura, that we are very Uncertain if it existed or not as the only relics and evidence are Myths, Tall Tales, Excavated Ruins and Jewelry, ruled by a King descended from the not dead Ahmad Shah of Malacca.There is the freedom of Religion but Hinduism and Buddhism would be common, the land is would be Magic Wuxia/Xianxia like fantasy world with Hills, Rivers and anything from the 1200s to the 1960s, with Magic Swords, Guns, Weapons based on Taoism, Hinduism, Shintoism and Buddhism.

Yeah thank you for reading this long post about my characters that I am going to draw and the world in general!☺️

[speciesofleastconcern]

Siouxsie and the Banshees - “Kiss Them For Me” 1991

[newstfionline]

China Fears India May Be Edging It Out in Culture Battle

By Amy Qin, NY Times, Sept. 30, 2017

BEIJING--One of the most popular movies in China over the summer ran 161 minutes, so long that it was sometimes shown with an intermission. Unlike Hollywood blockbusters, there were no special effects, speeding cars or epic battle scenes. Nor was the film a Chinese production with a Chinese cast.

Instead, it won over audiences with a simple but powerful tale: the true story of a man’s quest to train two daughters to become world-class wrestlers--in India.

Featuring the Bollywood star Aamir Khan, “Dangal” was India’s first big hit at the Chinese box office. It took in more than $194 million in two months, making it one of the 20 highest-grossing films of all time in China. In cinemas across the country, moviegoers cheered and grew misty-eyed in one particularly moving scene as the Indian flag was raised to the tune of the Indian national anthem.

While China’s film industry has long sought both to emulate and compete with Hollywood, the runaway success of “Dangal” has prompted Chinese production companies to turn their gaze from West to East. Suddenly, Chinese companies are racing to snap up all things Bollywood--partnerships and distribution rights, but also Indian directors and screenwriters. And that has led to some unease.

China and India are engaged in a wary competition for regional influence and leadership. For much of the summer, the two nations were locked in a border standoff over a remote mountain pass in the Himalayas.

But more and more, the two Asian giants are also competing to project soft power--or cultural influence--outside their borders. And “Dangal” has revived concerns in China that it is falling behind.

“China’s development has been very comprehensive in terms of politics, economics and military,” said Jiang Jingkui, director of the Southeast Asian Research Institute at Peking University.

“But in terms of soft power, India has done better than China,” Mr. Jiang said. “Although India’s economy is not as developed, they have put a huge emphasis on promoting their culture, including things like Buddhist traditions and yoga.”

China’s anxieties about India are colored to an extent by widespread stereotyping. People here often invoke India as an example for why China, with its even larger population, is not ready for democracy.

Some call Indians “a-san,” a derogatory term that was once used to refer to the Sikh guards who worked in Shanghai’s British settlement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In more recent years, the public perception of India has largely been shaped by Chinese state media, which tends to highlight stories on India’s caste system and the treatment of women in Indian society.

At times, those state media reports have taken on blatantly racist overtones. In August, Xinhua, the official news agency, released a short video exhorting India to retreat from the continuing standoff at the Sikkim border. The three-minute clip featured someone wearing a turban and a fake beard in an apparent attempt to mock Sikhs, who make up a religious minority in India.

Experts say that underpinning such views is a belief widely shared among Chinese that while India may be a regional force to be reckoned with, it also lags behind China in terms of development. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center published last year, just 26 percent of Chinese hold a favorable view of India, down from 33 percent in 2006. (The feeling is apparently mutual: Another Pew Research Center survey from last year showed that just 31 percent of Indians view China favorably.)

Even today, the word that most often comes up in discussions about India is luan--or chaos.

“There’s a perception among Chinese that India is dirty and unsafe,” said Tansen Sen, a history professor at New York University Shanghai. “Even though Indian movies have been popular, Chinese tourists still don’t go to India. They would rather go to Sri Lanka or Nepal.”

Indians, for their part, are also less than enthusiastic about China. Ever since 1962, when the two countries engaged in a brief but bloody border war, India has been highly suspicious of China and its intentions.

While both countries have made overtures toward friendship over the years, touting their 2,000 years of contact and shared Buddhist traditions, in last year’s Pew survey, many Indians expressed concerns about a number of topics, including China’s economic impact on India (70 percent), China’s growing military power (69 percent), China’s relationship with Pakistan (48 percent), India’s main rival, and Chinese and Indian territorial disputes (69 percent).

“The newspapers in India all tend to reinforce the same view,” said Mr. Sen, who was born in India and moved to China at the age of 14. “That is: The Chinese cannot be trusted.”

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has made it a priority to increase its cultural influence around the world. The country has sought to burnish its spiritual image by promoting itself as the birthplace of Buddhism and yoga. Indian novelists and poets have gained global name recognition around the world, even in China. There is also Bollywood, which has put Indian filmmaking on the map, while global hits like “Slumdog Millionaire” and, more recently, “Lion,” have given a prominent platform to Indian actors and stories.

Similarly, China has made no secret of its soft power ambitions. The outcome of its most ambitious soft power project to date--President Xi Jinping’s $1 trillion One Belt, One Road initiative--remains to be seen. Official news outlets like China Central Television and Xinhua have ramped up overseas operations as part of a broader effort to report global news “from a Chinese perspective.”

Some of China’s attempts to project cultural influence have stumbled. An ambitious initiative to set up Confucius Institutes on university campuses, for example, has attracted widespread criticism. And despite having made huge investments to build up its film industry, China has struggled to produce a big crossover hit since Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” in 2000. Even Zhang Yimou’s “The Great Wall”, thought to be China’s best shot in recent years at making a global blockbuster, mostly flopped at box offices outside China.

Some have come out in defense of the Chinese film industry, arguing that it is still relatively young. But the discussion around “Dangal” came at a time when many Chinese are expressing concerns that their film industry--in its quest to catch up with Hollywood--has become too narrowly focused on profit and entertainment over quality and substance.

“In China, the decisions are made by the people who have money,” said Gu Wancheng, senior vice president at Peacock Mountain Films, which specializes in Chinese and Indian collaborations. “But these people typically don’t have a feeling for a good story. They would rather invest in big stars or special effects.”

Perhaps going back to basics and taking lessons from Bollywood, some say, could mitigate that problem.

“In Bollywood it’s different,” Ms. Gu added. “People there have the self-confidence to say that ‘we can tell this story well.’”

[ephemeral-elegance]

Lace Hat Veil, ca. 1835

via The Met