samraadeni:

Relevant: Today I wore my “This is what a Feminist looks like” tshirt while walking on the streets of Bangalore = twice the usual number of stares. Last weekend while getting my learner’s permit to drive, I was practically the only girl (and the only one in jeans) at the RTA and I felt the unabashed staring and a definite feeling of being unwelcome. And being objectified is a much worse feeling than you’d expect.

“But how is this possible in the world’s largest democracy?” 

It’s ‘creeping’ anti-feminism, where we had a female Prime Minister as early as 1980 (Indira Gandhi), we have a female nominal head of state, President Pratibha Patil, and we have a female spearheading the ruling party, Sonia Gandhi. 

But at the same time, this is a society which /systematically/ and cross-generationally puts down women. The same way fair skin, for example, is ingrained in the minds of so many, there is the notion that a woman must act a certain (subservient) way, there is the false dichotomy of a ‘good/bad’ woman which is found even in last week’s new Bollywood movie (two Indian female protagonists. Veronica is the “bad Indian woman” and Meera is the “good indian woman”. It’s like the filmmakers didn’t even /try/ to avoid stereotyping)

“…traditions still cast women as helpless victims rather than free-thinking individuals in control of their own destiny. “When a girl is young, she is guided by her father; when she is older, she is guided by her husband; when she is very old, she is guided by her son…the cult of the “good girl, who is taught to walk slowly ‘like an elephant’ and not laugh too loud”. It’s pervasive, affecting women of all caste, religion, sect, and socioeconomic standing.

“Men abuse women in every society, but few males do it with as much impunity, violence and regularity as the Indian male.” Though I hate to generalize, it’s a fact that a woman’s rights, dignity, and honour are worthless in many instances in this country - except when that woman’s honour reflects on a man’s honour, and then you have cases like the Rajasthani man who “beheaded his 20-year-old daughter with a sword, parading her bleeding head around as a warning to other young women who might fall in love with a lower-caste boy.” “A preference for sons and fear of having to pay a dowry has resulted in 12 million girls being aborted over the past three decades.”

Sorry for the ranting and the tl;dr nature - just read the article. (Finally found a good article on the Guwahati incident and it’s published by a Brit)

Speaking of the good old conquering imperialists, the comments section of the Guardian is entertaining. (For the record, I do love the Guardian, read it all the time)

This one guy (incorrectly, I’d say) states that women’s lack of rights is because of British imperialism (rather untrue)

But then this other guy takes the cake with “You’ve had independence since 1947, you can’t keep using the British as an excuse for appalling behaviour.”

I mean

I just can’t

clearly the concept of post-colonialism is alien to them

Never mind the fact that British imperialism is responsible for like 8327837 land and religious conflicts in India and elsewhere

ANYWAY. Do read this article. That is all.

-Sholay (1975)

(A bollywood film) - and the quote sounded better in hindi =]

aazaadiyan:

dhannonaammera:

guys…Priyanka just got scolded at by an aunty via Twitter. EPIC WIN/FAIL

DOUBLE EPIC FAIL/WIN

(Source: ishqkamina)

Flash Mob in Mumbai, India! At the Chhatrapati Shivaji Train Station, also, my most favourite song from the greatest movie ever: Rang De Basanti.

I think this could be the first time India has ever had a flash mob? Correct me if I’m mistaken. It’s definitely the first I heard of, even though the whole concept of Bollywood dance is kinda the notion of a flash mob OKAY GUYS NOW WE’RE JUST GOING TO IGNORE THE STORYLINE AND START DANCING IN PERFECT SYNC FOR NO REASON very flash mob esque.

I love everyone’s reactions, young and old, beautiful - do watch this if you can spare 4 minutes. :)

Also I just realized that deep down I really miss the old style of Bollywood - you know, the ones that had: stereotypical love stories, family drama in the background of the story, a few NRIs with identity issues thrown in, and BACKGROUND DANCERS. When was the last time you saw a song in the standard Hindi Film Format - Hero with 20 men behind him wearing toned-down versions of his outfit, Heroine with 20 girls in again, toned-down versions of her sari/outfit, and all of them coordinating their songs right down to the last jhoomka.

I can’t remember. I’m seriously not even a Bollywood fangirl, but watching those old ones makes me nostalgic.

Also this is what I’m watching right now: Dholi Taro Dhol Baaje from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. (Aww everything used to be so POETIC back then! And the music was great. Actually our music is still great.)

Dham Dham Dhol Baaje Dhol Baaje Dhol Baaje Dhol

Ki Dham Dham Baaje Dhol

Ki Dham Dham Dham Baaje Dhol

Hey Dham Dham Dham Dhol Baaje Baaje Re Dhol Baaje

Dham Dham

Dham Dham Dham Dhol Baaje Baaje Re Dhol Baaje

Dham Dham!

Dham Dham Dham Dhol Baaje Baaje Re Dhol Baaje

Dham Dham

Dham Dham

Dham Dham!

Hey Dham Dham

Hey Dham Dham Dham Dhol Baaje Baaje Re Dhol Baaje

Dham Dham

Dham Dham Dham Dhol Baaje Baaje Re Dhol Baaje

Dham Dham!

ARE YOU PUMPED UP RIGHT NOW??? Also does the word “Dham” look weird to you? I think it appears over 30 times in this post.

Stuck in my head for the past hour. I really like this song. This part is especially replaying in my head:

Bandhke Main Ghunghroo
Pehenke Main Payal
Oh, Bandhke Main Ghunghroo
Pehenke Main Payal
Ho Jhoomke Nachoongi Ghoomke Nachoongi
Dola Re Dola Re Dola Re Dola…

what were you expecting? I knew that movie was going to be crap the minute it was announced. Sometimes I wonder if these production houses are just trolling us or if they actually thought that people would enjoy movies like this. Tees Maar Khan….I physically left the theatre. Atrocious.

chhail-chhabeela:

princessgrewal:

I have watched many SRK, Rani Mukherji, and Kajol movies. I just love these old movies. They actually had some story and some thought and value and some culture brought up. These days, all we see is movies with girls acting like sluts or movies on guys on drugs or movies like people in gay bars. BOLLYWOOD, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?

ra-one: And what, pray tell, is wrong about people in gay bars, exactly? Among the eight million other things wrong with this entire post.

^ what they said, and while I agree that many of the Bollywood movies made right now are utterly ridiculous, devoid of any storyline, and make me forever cringe, it doesn’t mean you’re ashamed of Bollywood entirely. There’s still a lot of great creativity and work within there.

(via khudgarzi)

“P.S. This ‘bitches love’ meme refers to this. No disrespect intended to Kalki or her character Natasha..or to any Bagwati loving bitch.”

totally finding it hilarious how someone had to justify the meme, but then again I guess most people haven’t heard of it? desi things + internet memes combined = sure making my mornings.

(via jhilmill-deactivated20120924)

I had an amazing lecture today from Brij Kothari, the inventor of Same-Language subtitles. This was a revolutionary (by the standards back then) implement, the notion of subtitling video in the same language, - 1997, back before DVDs. I can’t condense a 90 minute lecture into one tumblr post, but here are some of my notes:

Brij Kothari: Simple solutions to big problems.

India’s literacy rate in 1950, then present day – 74% That a huge increase. What’s the problem: these are the official figures.

(At this point, Angad and I, the two Indians-from-india-as-in-we’ve-actually-lived-there started cracking up. We basically did that the entire lecture at the points where no one else could get the joke…)

Teacher absenteeism: 1/3 teachers are absent every day – actual stats.

TV revolution in India: led to same-language subtitles – which was a totally new thing back before dvds etc existed. Implemented in 1999 in Gujarat on television  (thought up in 1996) only music videos.

(At this point some guy asked, “So…are music videos like a big thing in India?” Brij Kothari replied, “Have you EVER seen a Bollywood movie? Seriously?”

Impact on children who were exposed to subtitles – incredible. 42 official languages.

Thus, reading practice for 300 million viewers, and 200 million weak readers.

Subtitle songs – songs is a comfortable environment + motivation for readers because it helps them read along, etc, even if you fail, you feel like you’re succeeding.

Will also hopefully be implemented soon in Nigeria, with the help of Nickelodeon.

It’s tough to get funding, the World Bank funded, and incredibly lucky to get that, and lots of private funding like Google and Dell, but the Indian government won’t fund because…they see no hidden opportunity for THEM to make money in this scenario.

It was an amazing lecture! Urban Studies 131 is basically a 10-week lecture course featuring guest speakers, so Brij Kothari was one of them. Filled with amazing data and amazing points, as well as a sound byte from Bill Clinton: “A small thing that has staggering impact on people’s lives.”

dear tumblr readers, if you see this and it interests you, google Brij Kothari and/or BookBox and/or Planetread!

I don’t even LIKE Bollywood - but I love this line.

I’d translate it as: I see something divine in you, yaara what do you expect me to do?

yaara in this context just seems untranslatable.

(Source: )

mycrazytruth:

mycupofchai:

obeeezy:

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the picture of Shahrukh Khan my history text book has.

hahahahahaha

…for real?

HAHAHA WHAT. this is ridiculous. we are such an obsessed country.

(via inheritedloss)

ramyabaddam:

DDLJ <3

http://messagesfrombollywood.tumblr.com/

“Nyan Cat Indian Bollywood Version”

Of course, putting Bollywood in the name is the only thing that will attract hits on youtube, but this is actually from Tollywood cinema, (Telugu cinema, the state of Andhra Pradesh) AP FOR THE WIN!

Ashok - Gola Gola, starring NTR Junior and Sameera Reddy.

It’s amazing how coordinated this is.