Author Archives: vpdot

U, Me Aur Hum – A review in points

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By Vidya Pradhan

  1. I watch these movies so you don't have to.
  2. Note to Bollywoood – SCRIPT IS KING! SCRIPT IS KING! SCRIPT IS KING!
  3. Ajay Devgan, who makes his directorial debut with this movie, obviously did not get that note.
  4. He also takes credit for the story – alas, IMDB points us to the "inspiration" for UMAH's central premise, The Notebook, a rather saccharine love story by Nicholas Sparks which was made into an ok movie starring Rachel McAdams.
  5. Movies with cutesy bilingual names are usually an indicator of box-office poison but Jab We Met was refreshing, so I thought I'd give this one a try.
  6. UMAH starts well and ends strong..it's the middle that's the problem.
  7. If a previous engagement gets you to the movie only by intermission, thank your stars, the worst is over.
  8. Fat kids cannot be used for comedy in Hindi movies anymore.
  9. Scenes involving babies in jeopardy should be kept short in "family" films.
  10. Some directorial advice – next time don't be cheap about hiring a good supporting cast, it pays off.
  11. Kajol does her luminous best, her fans will be pleased with her acting and not so pleased with her cameraman.
  12. Ajay Devgan should not be playing 25 year old romantics anymore. Why not emulate "The Notebook" and have a different cast for the younger generation?
  13. Vishal Bharadwaj's music is pleasing, if unmemorable. Download the title song.
  14. Did I mention script is king?
  15. Sigh!
  16. Now that I have thoroughly turned you off the movie, who knows, you may even like it.
  17. Full disclosure – I watched this movie on a DVD with questionable antecedents, but guilt over journalistic integrity made me watch the entire movie at one setting without any fast forwards, and believe me, I was tempted.

U, Me Aur Hum – *ring Ajay Devgan, Kajol. Directed by Ajay Devgan

My rating – 2 out of 5 stars 

Community Calendar April 18th – April 24th, 2008

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Snippets

Water, No Ice is starting a monthly Honor Roll where you can send in details of achievements by friends, family and kids.

The India Community Center at Milpitas is planning a full time dedicated Table Tennis Center built to international standards. All donations towards the contruction of this center are tax-deductible. 

Essay Contest Update: The results are out! Check the Essay Contest page for the list. Prizes sponsored by Desi Knowledge, a great source for books, CDs and DVDs pertaining to Indian culture.

Registration for the Conversational Hindi Camp for the summer right away to ensure a spot for your child. 

It is also not too early to register for the Discover India Summer Camp, offered in three convenient locations in the Bay Area.

Tickets for Narika's South Asian Women's Conference are on sale now at www.narika.org. 

Aicon Gallery Palo Alto presents Middle Edge – A collection of contemporary  Indian artists.

Upcoming Events:

Tiruvidanthai – The Land of Divine Weddings

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By Swati Prasad Siddharth

The Lakshmivaraha Perumal temple at Tiruvidanthai in Tamil Nadu is one of the 108 Divyadesams – sacred places for Vaishnavites. The place is also called Sripuri , Varahapuri, Asurakulakaalanalloor, Nityakalyanapuri or Vamaghavipuri

About 42 kms of driving down the East Coast Road from Chennai, 16 kms short of Mamallapuram, we branch off to the right through a multicolored arch. A concrete road ends abruptly in front of a 15th century stone mahamantapam. Each of the 16 pillars in the mahamantapam is intricately carved. The dasavatharam or ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu are very easily recognizable among the numerous figures.
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Is America ready for a minority President?

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By Joy He, Second Place Winner (Grades 9th to 12th)

America is long overdue for a minority leader. For being a well-developed world power, we are notoriously single-minded when it comes to electing our presidents – no women, no minorities, no Jews, and no Muslims (indeed, even JKF’s Roman Catholicism kept the public talking for years). It is no question that America is quickly approaching a time for minority leaders. However, the conflict surrounding that issue comes from two sides. Not only is the question one of the American people’s willingness to elect a minority president, but it is also one of finding the right minority candidate to lead America.

The philosophy of the American people – the “American Dream” – is one that emphasizes equal opportunity for all individuals in all aspects of life. When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence demanding freedom, justice, and the rights outlined in the first ten amendments to the constitution, he defined the United States to be a nation of choice – of free-will and independence. However, today, with the public’s increasing aversion to immigration and a pronounced distrust of those from the Middle East after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, the American Dream is becoming just that – an American dream. When 5th or 6th generation “Americans” (whose families were incidentally immigrants themselves) begin persecuting other, newer, immigrants for pursuing the same dreams and ideals – the same freedoms – as their own families did once upon a time, then there is something inherently wrong with our Dream. The first obstacle America as a nation must overcome before entertaining hopes of electing a minority president is thus preserving the American Dream not only as a relic of the past, but also as a model for the future.

Conversely, it is also up to the candidates themselves to prove themselves worthy of leading our nation. Not only must America do its part to ensure that all candidates are given an equal opportunity to success, but the candidates must do their part to ensure that America will be led by the best people possible. Overcoming prejudice is one thing, but America shouldn’t feel pressured to elect a minority leader “just because.” Ability must come first and foremost. Whether or not the candidate is a minority should be almost an after thought – although, admittedly, their ethnic background would undeniably play a large role in areas of the presidency such as foreign policy. Indeed, we can’t simply say “minority president” and expect one to show up on our doorsteps.

Each president of the past was elected primarily on ability, and any presidential candidate, regardless of their racial status, must show that they have the ability to lead our nation.Ultimately, the election of a minority president will depend on both America’s willingness and the candidates’ competency . It is not only a question of whether the American public is ready to elect a minority president, but also if minority candidates are ready to step up to the plate. America is not yet quite ready for a minority president – the American Dream must be preserved in its entirety before we can truly be deemed ready – but conversely, we have yet to have a minority candidate who has really shown outstanding competency. In the future, America may be ready for a minority president, but will a suitable minority candidate be ready to lead America?

Judge's comments: Excellent point about older immigrants persecuting newer immigrants. Well structured and well thought out essay. Good postulation about whether the country would be able to throw up a minority candidate ready to lead. Good use of word limit. 

Joy He is a 10th grade student at Parkway Central High School in Chesterfield, Mo. Essay published as submitted.

Prizes sponsored by Desi Knowledge, a great place to get books, CDs and DVDs pertaining to Indian culture. Products ship from within the Bay Area, California

Is America ready for a minority President?

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By Colette Jaycox, First Place Winner (Grades 9th to 12th)

Asking whether or not the county is "ready" gives undue credence to racist perspectives. By posing the question as a two-sided quandary, we tactically accept the answer "no"- and doing so has consequences. If we decide that the country is not ready for a minority president, we condone discrimination against political candidates based on their ethnicity. After all, if the country is not ready for a minority president, why bother supporting a minority candidate, regardless of his or her skill sets? This legitimizes bigotry in the political sphere. Because we deem a minority candidate unelectable, it becomes socially acceptable to discriminate against such candidates. This, then, makes it even more difficult for a minority candidate to be elected president. We spiral downward and it becomes even more difficult for us to overcome our racist past.

Instead of focusing on the ethnicity of presidential candidates, we should examine their opinions on the issues at hand. Media coverage of the elections directed in such a way would send a message to the population that deciding who to vote for based on skin color is socially unacceptable- and societal pressure can be a powerful thing. Only by moving beyond our insecurity as to the readiness of our country to elect a minority president can we actually have a chance at getting a minority candidate in that position. The color of one's skin does not hamper one's political abilities; the country of one's ancestors does not limit one's capacity as a presidential hopeful. Once we stop making race an issue, we will have only the abilities of the candidates to look to- and this is in no way constrained by color.

Skeptics remain as to America's ability to reason in such a manner. However, we have empirical evidence to the contrary. The frontrunner in the Democratic primaries, leading in both states and delegates, is the minority candidate Barack Obama. The unprecedented success of his campaign, even against well-connected Clinton machine, flies in the faces of the political pundits who dismissed him at the beginning of the race. The thousands upon thousands of Americans who flocked to the caucuses to support Obama must think the country is ready for a man like him. The fact that he is African-American does not seem to discourage Americans in any way from voting for him. And as a serious contender for the Democratic nomination, that party must surely believe the country would vote for him. America's readiness is determined by the people, and as of yet, American citizens are looking favorably on Obama, a minority candidate.

They think that America is ready, so it is. America is its people, and its people have spoken. We are indeed created equal.

Judge's comments: By questioning the very premise of the topic, Colette elevates the discussion to a higher plane. Even though the essay is short, it argues its point well. A discussion of the realities of race in America would have improved it further. 

Colette Jaycox is a 10th grade student at Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, California. Essay published as submitted.

Prizes sponsored by Desi Knowledge, a great place to get books, CDs and DVDs pertaining to Indian culture. Products ship from within the Bay Area, California

Children and lies

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“So ja beta, nahi to gabbar ayega”

Chances are, if you’re an Indian parent..you condemn your soul to moral perdition at least half a dozen times a day. We don’t believe in burdening our kids with the truth when a well chosen whopper can make them eat their dinner, brush their teeth, study for their tests and stay chaste till their 40’s. We invoke the police and the bad guys with equal zest, often for the same purpose. We shield our kids from bad news by telling them “Grandpa has gone for a long trip” or “Tommy(the dog) has found a new home.” We deflect questions about the birds and the bees by making up elaborate concoctions sure to keep them in therapy or couples counselling for years to come. Stories using organized religion as a backdrop maybe the biggest corkers of them all..no wonder they are called fables.

Our movies reflect our propensity to pretext. Movie moms deal with the loss of the movie dads by telling the child “He’ll be right back.” Exactly how dumb do they think the child is?

When I was growing up, my esteemed parent frustrated me on long road trips by answering the question “When will we get there?” with “In 5 minutes,” every single time I asked. It took me a while to figure it out, but eventually I realized that I would only get the answer she thought I wanted to hear. So when I had kids of my own, I figured I was going to be absolutely truthful to them. Both my kids have been exposed to the virtues of vitamins in their veggies and the perils of tartar in their teeth before they were two, leaving them with permanently bemused expressions.

Unfortunately, all my good intentions came to a hasty end at the hands of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, who conspired to make a liar out of me.  When it came to a choice between the magic of childhood and the clinical and unsatisfactory virtuousness of truth, it was no contest.

Still, I thought I was doing a fairly good job being straight with my kids on all the stuff that really mattered and instilling in them a love for truth that would help them grow up to be responsible, upstanding citizens when an incident happened that shook my belief in the virtue of verisimilitude.

My 5 year old had been  asked by her teacher to go to bed at 8 p.m. sharp prior to an important test day. As it happened she slept half an hour later. In the morning, she was in tears because she had disobeyed the teacher.( This is a rather sad commentary on the authority system at her private school, but that is a topic for later.) I tried explaining to her that-

-each child had her own sleep schedule and an arbitrary bedtime made no sense. ( more tears)

-she was to feel free to blame it all on me.( tearful objections -“but it was my responsibility”)

-the teacher was an idiot and she was not to listen to her( shocked tears)

I went around the block (literally and figuratively..the parking lot was full) with these arguments for a while before exasperation took over. “Just lie,” I said, ” and tell her you slept at 8 p.m., ok?”

The tears disappeared like magic.

“That’s what I wanted to do in the first place,” said the politician in training.

WNI Essay Contest gets a mention in Mercury News!

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Many thanks to Scott Herhold, who was one of the judges in Water, No Ice's First Annual Essay Contest. He writes an article that appeared today in the San Jose Mercury News highlighting not just the talent but the optimism of the new generation. Some excerpts:

These weren't ordinary kids. They were the children of Indian immigrants with high expectations. I read the top 10 essays culled by the editors of the Web site "Water No Ice" (www.waternoice.com), a cultural voice for Indians in the Bay Area. (The name comes from the Indian preference for ordering water, but no ice, in restaurants.)

He finds that the contestants share a strong belief in the power of the presidency( possibly the influence of the incumbent's appropriation of executive authority?)

If you had to find a common theme in the kids' writing, it might be the belief in a president who has extraordinary power and sweats the details.

He remarks on the hopeful, positive and encouraging tone of the essays.

These kids were far more optimistic. In their essays, you could see a common yearning to use the presidency as a wise parent might – even if that meant stepping on traditional American civil liberties.

One essayist pledged that he would sit down with Fed chairman Ben Bernanke and start a stock market rally. Another, zealous to halt crime, proposed that the police install security systems in the home of every American. "My vision is to make the country peaceful," the student wrote. "No more worries. No more war."

So what does this mean for American politics? Particularly if you think, like I do, that we'll eventually have an Indo-American president? (emphasis mine)

 

Madam President

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By Sanjana Prasad, Third Place Winner ( Grades 5th to 8th)

“My fellow Americans, you know how much I love this country. You know what I will sacrifice for America, the land of opportunity, which is why I stand here now,” I start my inauguration address smoothly. As I continue discussing my policies with certainty, everyone lets out a sigh of relief, realizing they have elected a great president. Continue reading →

If I were the President…

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By Shreya Malik, Joint First Place Winner ( Grades 5th to 8th)

Signing bills to make them laws. Directing billions of dollars of budget. Representing the entire country in the world. Commanding the United States army. Bossing over employees who address you as “sir”.
-Whose job does this sound like to you?
This is the not-so-glamorous, yet most powerful position in the world–the President of the USA. Tiresome perhaps, but there is never a dull moment in the job of the President. Continue reading →

If I were President….

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By Nicole Dalal, Joint First Place Winner ( Grades 5th to 8th)

The swarm of news reporters stormed into the Oval Office, eager to extract any piece of information they possibly could.
The magnificence of the room brought a special sense of national pride to one of the reporters. His eyes beamed as he perceived the stability and peace in the world that had been achieved under the reign of the new president. The eagle had truly spread its wings under this new administration and had taken flight, soaring into new and unexplored heights.
"Excuse me," he spoke, politely introducing himself to the kind secretary in the corner. "I would like to have a word with Ms. President."
"One moment please," the soft-spoken secretary announced as she walked over to the miraculously carved desk. She tapped the large leather chair and murmured, "Ms. President. We have some reporters who would like to talk to you."

Continue reading →