Sunday, July 11, 2004
Raju, Shah-Rukh-Kahn & Lakshya
Last time I promised to start with some newspaper quotations, so let's go :
(about fatal hunger strike on a road constrution) : "The Vadars are an economic backward nomadic tribe known for their skills as stone-cutter."
Backward but already some taylorism knowledge...In fact after that case the administration became aware of the problems of those tribes (you have thousands of them through the country), and a lot of articles were published : each worker gets per day 25 Rs in cash and 25 Rs in wheat (50Rs ~ 1 Euro) for such jobs.
Second article, also quite tragic about life in indian countryside : "Infant girl sacrified in AP (Andhar Pradesh): KARIMNAGAR : An infant girl was allegedly sacrified by her neighbour to propitiate gods at Subhashnagar village, near 7km from here, police sayed on Thursday. The victim identified as J.N. was BEHEADED by her neighbour on Tuesday to please the gods."
Indian EXPRESS, 9/7/2004
Drole de moeurs / strange habits...
A bit more funny (but not for me...) : "As per Gouvernment of India rules, the legal age for a girl's marriage is 18 years. Yet, the median age is around 17 years.
In 2001, over 34% of girls in the age group of 15-19 were married - a decline of 2% over 1991." The husband's age however is not given! Situation was critical in Poland (~all under 25 years married?), it becomes tragic now...Let's keep hope!
Without transition, today I introduce to you my driver. His name is Raju, he is 23 y.o. and has two long nails painted pink on the left hand, the thumb and the little finger. I didn't ask him yet why, even if the temptation is big. We have every day long conversations about various subjects from trees to Bollywood, via Indian Gods. That's how I know almost all the kind of trees along the road to the factory : wad-tree (percusive "d" as a "t", and roll the "r" please!) with the long roots falling from the branchs, gulmohar with their umbrella of small red flowers, and nilgiri, unable to grow staight, so growing at 45deg., which provide wood for furniture, internal decoration and scafoldings (horizontal parts, the verticals are bamboo).
I like his enthousiastic "Oh, yes sir!" by shaking the head in the indian way, means by drawing an 8 with the head.
His favorite actor is Shah Rukh Khan, one of the biggest Bollywood star - main role in "Kal Ho Naa Ho" (...also Ernesto's favorite movie, he knows the lyrics by heart). As you know, the Bollywood films are like musicals, full of songs with specific choregraphy, and those songs have a parallel life in the indian charts so that people know them without having seen the film. One must know also that the songs are play-back and that they are not sung by the actors, only played by them in the film. It is enough to let the singer be indentified with the actor (their image is so strong)..."Who's singing that?" With a big smile : "Shah Rukh Khan, sir!".
[ By the way in the epicurian song "kal ho naa ho"~"tomorrow maybe or not", "kal" means "tomorrow". Completly different from "kal" which means "yesterday"...]
During a conversation about newspaper's price (here between 1 & 2 roupees, so 2 to 4 Eurocents!!!), I realized that Raju was earning the equivalent of one "LIBE(RATION)" (so 1 Euro per day for the driver's job). It is not a difficult job, (1 hour driving - 10 hours talking or sleeping and 1 more hour back) but it takes him time that he could spend in front of a computer to get 10 times, 20 times more after few years of study! I will try to push him to do that, not that I want to get rid of him...
Raju is driving a white "Indica" made by the national car maker Tata. He rarely gears down to 2nd to overtake a three-wheeler at 40km/h what makes the overtaking last hours. But finishing always on time a few meters from the big colorful "Goods Carrier" truck coming at 30km/h in the opposite direction. At the beginning you mind, later you don't notice it anymore, hidden behind your IndianEXPRESS.
As I talked with Raju about Egypt, pyramids & momies, he confessed me that he was passionated by ghosts, he even saw one, once.
I have to tell you about the first Bollywood film I saw in my life : LAKSHYA (see internet link).
At the entry of the cinema hall, one label : "Do not spit".
Lakshya is a love-story with great songs & choregraphy in the Dehli fort and later with the Jammu-and-Kashmir mountains as paperwall. It is simple, you don't need to understand the hindi words with a lot of english reminiscences, but really deep emotion. I can't help telling you the story!
Karen (not played by Shah-R-Kahn) doesn't know what to do in his life. One day he decides to go to the Indian Military Academy, but he escapes soon because military discipline and seriousness is not his cup of masala tea. Back home, his girlfriend (a small & cute girl with extraordinary eyes, like in every film here) gets disappointed by his lack of determination and breaks. He goes back to the IMA and graduates. As he comes back she has married another and he is sent to the Kashmir to fight against Pakistan. She becomes a reporter in...Kashmir (ben tiens!), he becomes a heroe, she separates from her husband and they end together. Ouf! The songs are naive and deep at the same time (well, the music at least...), it's unique. The indian army is shown in beautifull uniforms and the ennemi dressed like moutain shepards. Might be true...
In the middle of the film, after 90 minutes (!), the screen shows "intermission" to have a snack and a drink.
Next time I will tell you some word about burps in India (exciting!), how I met a nice newspaper's saler close to the Main Station and what more than a paper you can buy for 1 Roupee...
(about fatal hunger strike on a road constrution) : "The Vadars are an economic backward nomadic tribe known for their skills as stone-cutter."
Backward but already some taylorism knowledge...In fact after that case the administration became aware of the problems of those tribes (you have thousands of them through the country), and a lot of articles were published : each worker gets per day 25 Rs in cash and 25 Rs in wheat (50Rs ~ 1 Euro) for such jobs.
Second article, also quite tragic about life in indian countryside : "Infant girl sacrified in AP (Andhar Pradesh): KARIMNAGAR : An infant girl was allegedly sacrified by her neighbour to propitiate gods at Subhashnagar village, near 7km from here, police sayed on Thursday. The victim identified as J.N. was BEHEADED by her neighbour on Tuesday to please the gods."
Indian EXPRESS, 9/7/2004
Drole de moeurs / strange habits...
A bit more funny (but not for me...) : "As per Gouvernment of India rules, the legal age for a girl's marriage is 18 years. Yet, the median age is around 17 years.
In 2001, over 34% of girls in the age group of 15-19 were married - a decline of 2% over 1991." The husband's age however is not given! Situation was critical in Poland (~all under 25 years married?), it becomes tragic now...Let's keep hope!
Without transition, today I introduce to you my driver. His name is Raju, he is 23 y.o. and has two long nails painted pink on the left hand, the thumb and the little finger. I didn't ask him yet why, even if the temptation is big. We have every day long conversations about various subjects from trees to Bollywood, via Indian Gods. That's how I know almost all the kind of trees along the road to the factory : wad-tree (percusive "d" as a "t", and roll the "r" please!) with the long roots falling from the branchs, gulmohar with their umbrella of small red flowers, and nilgiri, unable to grow staight, so growing at 45deg., which provide wood for furniture, internal decoration and scafoldings (horizontal parts, the verticals are bamboo).
I like his enthousiastic "Oh, yes sir!" by shaking the head in the indian way, means by drawing an 8 with the head.
His favorite actor is Shah Rukh Khan, one of the biggest Bollywood star - main role in "Kal Ho Naa Ho" (...also Ernesto's favorite movie, he knows the lyrics by heart). As you know, the Bollywood films are like musicals, full of songs with specific choregraphy, and those songs have a parallel life in the indian charts so that people know them without having seen the film. One must know also that the songs are play-back and that they are not sung by the actors, only played by them in the film. It is enough to let the singer be indentified with the actor (their image is so strong)..."Who's singing that?" With a big smile : "Shah Rukh Khan, sir!".
[ By the way in the epicurian song "kal ho naa ho"~"tomorrow maybe or not", "kal" means "tomorrow". Completly different from "kal" which means "yesterday"...]
During a conversation about newspaper's price (here between 1 & 2 roupees, so 2 to 4 Eurocents!!!), I realized that Raju was earning the equivalent of one "LIBE(RATION)" (so 1 Euro per day for the driver's job). It is not a difficult job, (1 hour driving - 10 hours talking or sleeping and 1 more hour back) but it takes him time that he could spend in front of a computer to get 10 times, 20 times more after few years of study! I will try to push him to do that, not that I want to get rid of him...
Raju is driving a white "Indica" made by the national car maker Tata. He rarely gears down to 2nd to overtake a three-wheeler at 40km/h what makes the overtaking last hours. But finishing always on time a few meters from the big colorful "Goods Carrier" truck coming at 30km/h in the opposite direction. At the beginning you mind, later you don't notice it anymore, hidden behind your IndianEXPRESS.
As I talked with Raju about Egypt, pyramids & momies, he confessed me that he was passionated by ghosts, he even saw one, once.
I have to tell you about the first Bollywood film I saw in my life : LAKSHYA (see internet link).
At the entry of the cinema hall, one label : "Do not spit".
Lakshya is a love-story with great songs & choregraphy in the Dehli fort and later with the Jammu-and-Kashmir mountains as paperwall. It is simple, you don't need to understand the hindi words with a lot of english reminiscences, but really deep emotion. I can't help telling you the story!
Karen (not played by Shah-R-Kahn) doesn't know what to do in his life. One day he decides to go to the Indian Military Academy, but he escapes soon because military discipline and seriousness is not his cup of masala tea. Back home, his girlfriend (a small & cute girl with extraordinary eyes, like in every film here) gets disappointed by his lack of determination and breaks. He goes back to the IMA and graduates. As he comes back she has married another and he is sent to the Kashmir to fight against Pakistan. She becomes a reporter in...Kashmir (ben tiens!), he becomes a heroe, she separates from her husband and they end together. Ouf! The songs are naive and deep at the same time (well, the music at least...), it's unique. The indian army is shown in beautifull uniforms and the ennemi dressed like moutain shepards. Might be true...
In the middle of the film, after 90 minutes (!), the screen shows "intermission" to have a snack and a drink.
Next time I will tell you some word about burps in India (exciting!), how I met a nice newspaper's saler close to the Main Station and what more than a paper you can buy for 1 Roupee...
