I dropped Arji off at the airport in the wee hours of Friday morning. He made plans to go to the Cricket World Cup with his brother and cousins some time back, long before all the teams that actually mattered to him were eliminated. It has turned in a golf holiday, but it's a holiday nonetheless.
I was all pensive and almost lonely on the short drive back home, b/c trips to the airport always do that to me. I love going to the airport to pick up my friends and family, but everytime I go to the airport to drop someone off, a ball of dread materializes somewhere around the first sign for economy parking. (Trips to DTW airport when I have to leave the car there also inspire fits of rage, b/c the signs are always wrong and point to roads that are blocked off or nonexistent and have you ever tried long term blue deck parking in a hurry and I once waited 45 minutes for a shuttle in satellite parking and they have the rudest cops who will actually yell at you for hugging your grandma when you pick her up- I guess they just want you drive really slowly and just throw the broad in an already popped open trunk... God DAMN I hate that infernal airport..)
ANYWAYS.
The ball of dread disappeared after I dropped Arji off, and was replaced by a sort of achy loneliness. Not because he is gone, because I am actually really happy that he went (really!), but I started thinking about leaving Ann Arbor in general. I started getting a bit misty eyed in the car, b/c it hasn't really hit me until now that my time in Ann Arbor is coming to a close. I have experienced literally the worst time of my life here, as well as some of the best. I made incredible friends, reconnected with family that I had never had a chance to really get to know while living on the East Coast, spent about $4000 a year at Zingermans (12 meals total), and enjoyed the first four years of marriage to Arji.
In honor of Ann Arbor, I have made a list of things I will and will not miss about Ann Arbor. The numbers don't really represent rank, just the order in which I think of these things.
Let's start with the negatives first. I will not miss:
8. COSI: Everything tastes like basil-pesto flavored ass, and they have the worst service on EARTH.
7. Zingermans: It's a "Jewish deli" that has dead pig all up in it all the time, and they charge 13 bucks for a sandwich. Seriously, that's ridiculous.
6. Ann Arbor rent: Now that I am looking at Chicago prices, it amazes me that it's not that much more than Ann Arbor. That is also ridiculous.
5. Scorekeepers: I lived next to that den of sin my first year of law school, and walking by it was a feast for the senses everyday. For my eyes: sorority girls in tube tops freezing their keister's off in 30 degree weather, clinging like frail little old ladies onto frat boys wearing stripey, untucked shirts with ramp-head hair, or for the fashionable, a totally WILD fauxhawk, which can be slicked down to look respectable when it comes time for an IB interview. For my ears: something crappy, so crappy that I often can't even identify it. Which means that it's really really crappy. For my sense of touch: a good old body check from a girl so drunk she can hardly stand, because her alcohol induced haze makes me invisible, even though I am very conspicuously lumbering down the street, hunched over and looking pissed, sporting what looks like an osteoporitic hump, but is in fact a backpack containing a HUGE laptop (c/o of my dad who thinks bigger is always better for his little girl) and two giant red leather books that I have no intention of reading this semester. For my amply proportioned nose: the enticing melange of piss, vomit, stale beer, and desperation. And finally for my sense of taste: the little bit of throw up in my mouth that appears when Frat Boy X with the obvious overcompensation issue asks me where I'm rushing off to and what I really need to do to relax is [and here comes the barf].
4. Conservative UM Undergrads: this is one with very obvious caveat. I love love love so so so many undergrads at UMich, but there is this certain breed of politically conservative kiddos at UMich who have absolutely no basis for their cultivated persecution complex, whom I consider to be a blight on the university community. Seriously, when 19 year olds are on average more conservative than their old crotchety professors, there is a problem.
3. Alcohol: Yes, I know beer has been helping ugly ppl get laid for years, but the crazy, alcohol obsessed college culture out here can be really tiresome, not to mention dangerous.
2. The lack of dance clubs: I like the nightlife and I like to boogie, and here, there is not so much of that. Lots of places to have coffee, grab a beer (see above), chat with friends, etc. but there are very few places where you can shake what your mama gave ya on a packed dance floor. For anyone who suggest Rick's, I suggest they look at numbers 6 and 8 above and number 1 below.
1. Homogeneity: Ann Arborites (many undergrads excluded) are a worldly bunch, but by and large they tend to be worldly white people. Not much you can do about that, and except be happy that it's not hegemonic whiteness. An example of the whiteness: I went to a African dance class, and there were no Africans teaching or learning. On an unrelated note, when I told my mom that the dance instructor said I was good for a first-timer, my mom says, "Was everyone there white?" I said yes. And she goes, "Well then that's not really a big deal. Think of what you're being compared to." Mama Ashai's got JOKES.
AND NOW FOR THE THINGS I LOVE AND WILL MISS TERRIBLY ABOUT ANN ARBOR:
8. Zingermans: Okay, so it's freaking ridiculous, but it's so yummy sometimes! And I have learned how to order so I don't feel like I am getting totally ripped, just slightly scammed.
7. The Townies: The grey pixie cuts and Chico's apparel for the ladies, the scraggly beards and Teva sandals with socks for the men, their kindness to panhandlers, their desire to protest EVERYTHING, their ability to support independent coffee shops and boutiques, their affection for public transportation - I love old hippies and I will miss living in a town that is dominated by them.
6. Muslim Grad Students: a more tolerant, thoughtful bunch of Muslim folk you will never ever find. One in a million.
5. Cafe Ambrosia!!! I remember when I first walked in there and saw pictures all over the bulletin board of a white guy and a desi hijabi with an insanely cute kid. I looked behind the counter, and there was said white guy, Ed Renollet the Coffee Sultan. Ambrosia makes the only good cup of tea in town (Arji says so) and makes for the most fun people watching. There, I pretended to study for hours on end; I made fabulous friends and gossiped like an old woman; I once put a 36in by 60in picture of Umbreen on the wall, which in turn allowed Umbreen to convince someone that she was the star of a well known Pakistani movie called the Three Legged Goat; and care of one particularly petulant and moody barista(o?), I listened to some of the worst music I've ever heard in my life.
4. Madras Masala: I love the food and everything at Madras, and I love the fact that Ambrosia now smells like Madras, but what I love the most is the silver Passat. Late every night, while we would pack up our laptops and books and whatnot and use whatever energy we had left to leave Ambrosia as it closed up, a magical silver VW Passat 4 Door Sedan would pull up to the curb. The doors to the Passat would open, and one by one, around 42 different desis and latino guys would file out of Madras, mill around for a bit, then one by one pile into the car in a somewhat orderly fashion (unless Purvi would sit near a window, in which case there would be some stumbling and staring). Magic, I tell you. There is no other way to explain it.
3. Tower Plaza: Sure its's weird that ppl decide to pray salaat in jamaa in the lobby, and sure it's weird that the whole building is basically Muslim and/or desi and/or Asian, but the water pressure was great and the neighbors were neighborly. I will never ever forget how nice the MSA girls were to me when I was going through a rough patch - I'm talking sweet handwritten notes and consistent phone calls and knocks on the door just to see how I was doing. I may rant and rave about the things that frustrate me about Muslim communities in general, but there were some real o.g. sweethearts in TP. And who can forget about Roy, the gossip, and Lisa, the smiliest smiley guard on Earth. Oh yeah, and Umbreen will say that Will was always nice to her, but that's just her.
2. Summers: The most beautiful summers I have ever spent. It is not hot or humid no matter what anyone tells you. I survived MD/DC smmers for most of my life, and i never understood why I had a bad hair LIFE until I cam to Michigan. MD is like living in a sauna, whereas Michigan is like living in a meat freezer. The town clears out here over the summer, and lends itself to long lunch dates, strolls along the street during whatever festival is happening at the moment, window shopping, etc.
1. THE PEOPLE: Where do I even begin? I have never ever met as many thoughtful, kindhearted, smartypants ppl as I have in Ann Arbor. Many of my friends have already left town, and some of my friends will be leaving shortly, but I am so glad that our paths have crossed here. Too many to name, and I'm always afraid I'll leave someone out by accident, but you know who you are. Or you might not. B/c one of my greatest talents is to pretend I REALLY like people whom I secretly despise, which scares Arji and Umbreen and anyone else who discovers this fact, but... I have said too much. I love everyone!! Bisous!!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
Naseeruddin Shah is the man
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6369621.stm
Leading Indian actor-director Naseeruddin Shah has fiercely criticised the originality and quality of films produced by the Bollywood film industry.
Speaking to the BBC Asian Network's Gagan Grewal show, Mr Shah said: "We just don't make films of an international standard."
He was speaking after the Bollywood film, Rang de Basanti (Colour Me Saffron) failed to pick up an award at this month's British Academy of Film and Television Awards (Baftas). It was nominated in the Best Foreign Film category.
"I really don't think we make films that can match those from other parts of the world. And I am not referring to Hollywood - we make copies of Hollywood," he added.
Comparing Bollywood to other film industries, Mr Shah said: "We can't match the types of films made in Iran for example, Poland, Japan, Mexico or Brazil, Vietnam or Korea.
"These countries are producing the most incredible movies and we are still plodding on with our boy-meets-girl safe, old formula. That is the reason I think our films aren't taken seriously".
Rang de Basanti was also India's nomination to the 2007 Oscars, but it did not make the awards shortlist. So far, no Indian film has ever won an Oscar.
Mr Shah made his acting debut in Shyam Benegal's film, Nishant, in 1975. Since then, he's acted in over 130 films and won three Filmfare magazine awards.
He has seen success in art films as well as mainstream Bollywood movies.
Successful actors
He has starred in international projects such as Monsoon Wedding and a film adaptation of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, where he played the role of Captain Nemo.
Mt Shah has also acted in an Indian adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, and recently in Omkara, the Indian adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello.
With a career that has spanned more than three decades, he is one of India's biggest and most successful actors.
Rang de Basanti failed to impress at the Baftas
He made his directorial debut in the film Yun Hota to Kya Hota, which was released in 2006.
Naseeruddin Shah has been especially praised for his latest film Parzania, which revolves around the 2002 riots in India's western state of Gujarat.
The film has created controversy and received critical acclaim across the country except in Gujarat itself, where it is yet to be screened.
Mr Shah defended the film: "To an extent it does rake up old wounds, but it is a story that needed to be told. It is not a finger pointing exercise."
"People do not know the personal tragedies that affected uninvolved people in the riots," he said.
Mr Shah said there was something to be learnt by the film's production: "I don't know when Bollywood is going to wake up and learn, it's not the presence of big stars that pulls an audience to cinema halls, it's the whole, overall form of the film".
Ailing industry
Naseeruddin Shah is soon set to star in his first Pakistani film Khuda Ke Naam (God's name).
Powerful figures in the Pakistan film industry are desperately trying to step up pressure on the government to revive the country's comatose film industry.
He is equally scathingly of the Pakistani film industry: "I think it's a diseased version of the Mumbai film industry, by that I mean, diseased by plagiarism.
"Pakistani film-makers are content to produce the same kind of shallow, melodramas that have populated the Indian landscape," he said.
"I think the Pakistan film industry has to find a identity for itself - which it never did."
Mr Shah said that he hoped more youngsters from Pakistan will soon emerge to make more up-to-date films.
Leading Indian actor-director Naseeruddin Shah has fiercely criticised the originality and quality of films produced by the Bollywood film industry.
Speaking to the BBC Asian Network's Gagan Grewal show, Mr Shah said: "We just don't make films of an international standard."
He was speaking after the Bollywood film, Rang de Basanti (Colour Me Saffron) failed to pick up an award at this month's British Academy of Film and Television Awards (Baftas). It was nominated in the Best Foreign Film category.
"I really don't think we make films that can match those from other parts of the world. And I am not referring to Hollywood - we make copies of Hollywood," he added.
Comparing Bollywood to other film industries, Mr Shah said: "We can't match the types of films made in Iran for example, Poland, Japan, Mexico or Brazil, Vietnam or Korea.
"These countries are producing the most incredible movies and we are still plodding on with our boy-meets-girl safe, old formula. That is the reason I think our films aren't taken seriously".
Rang de Basanti was also India's nomination to the 2007 Oscars, but it did not make the awards shortlist. So far, no Indian film has ever won an Oscar.
Mr Shah made his acting debut in Shyam Benegal's film, Nishant, in 1975. Since then, he's acted in over 130 films and won three Filmfare magazine awards.
He has seen success in art films as well as mainstream Bollywood movies.
Successful actors
He has starred in international projects such as Monsoon Wedding and a film adaptation of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, where he played the role of Captain Nemo.
Mt Shah has also acted in an Indian adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, and recently in Omkara, the Indian adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello.
With a career that has spanned more than three decades, he is one of India's biggest and most successful actors.
Rang de Basanti failed to impress at the Baftas
He made his directorial debut in the film Yun Hota to Kya Hota, which was released in 2006.
Naseeruddin Shah has been especially praised for his latest film Parzania, which revolves around the 2002 riots in India's western state of Gujarat.
The film has created controversy and received critical acclaim across the country except in Gujarat itself, where it is yet to be screened.
Mr Shah defended the film: "To an extent it does rake up old wounds, but it is a story that needed to be told. It is not a finger pointing exercise."
"People do not know the personal tragedies that affected uninvolved people in the riots," he said.
Mr Shah said there was something to be learnt by the film's production: "I don't know when Bollywood is going to wake up and learn, it's not the presence of big stars that pulls an audience to cinema halls, it's the whole, overall form of the film".
Ailing industry
Naseeruddin Shah is soon set to star in his first Pakistani film Khuda Ke Naam (God's name).
Powerful figures in the Pakistan film industry are desperately trying to step up pressure on the government to revive the country's comatose film industry.
He is equally scathingly of the Pakistani film industry: "I think it's a diseased version of the Mumbai film industry, by that I mean, diseased by plagiarism.
"Pakistani film-makers are content to produce the same kind of shallow, melodramas that have populated the Indian landscape," he said.
"I think the Pakistan film industry has to find a identity for itself - which it never did."
Mr Shah said that he hoped more youngsters from Pakistan will soon emerge to make more up-to-date films.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Kashmiris have lost their damn minds
Yes, I can say that, because I am undeniably Kashmiri and proud of it: hirsute, over-dramatic, combative, with a tendency to melancholy (which Umbreen would pronounce mell-ANTCH-uh-lee), and I'm married to my cousin.
I don't really think Kashmiris have lost their damn minds, but the members of the two legislative houses in J&K most definitely have. Good thing no one actually voted for them, otherwise I'd be pretty embarrassed.
Last week, the J&K Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council ratified a bill called the Shariat Bill, which applies Indian Muslim personal law to the State of J&K. The Indian Shariat Act, 1937, which applies to Muslims in the rest of India, did not apply to J&K until its ratification by the state legislative bodies. Jammu and Kashmir is the only state in India that has its own constitution, and Indian laws pertaining to anything other than Defense, Foreign Relations, and Communications (I think those are the magic three), apply in J&K ONLY IF they are ratified by the J&K Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.
These same so-called Kashmiri representatives raised an absolutely absurd hue and cry in 2004 about attempts to create gender equity in Kashmir's state-subjects law, pitching the issue as an affront to J&K's autonomous status within India. They resisted the imperative of the J&K High Court to strike down those state subject laws that are inconsistent with the fundamental rights in the Indian Constitution. I thought the legal position rejecting the high court's decision was sound, but their policy justifications were nothing short of abominable.
These same legislative bodies now want to apply Indian family law to the state, in the interest of, you guessed it, gender equity! The laws that governed family law in Kashmir were rooted in customary practices that were apparently even worse than Indian shariat law (which is no picnic for women either, let's face it). This ratification, however, is a step backwards for these legislative bodies, members of which spend most of their time quibbling over autonomy or self-rule, all while acting in cahoots with the same repressive central government that has shown no interest in respecting any constitutional freedoms guaranteed to Kashmir.
Why in the world, when there is absolutely no legal compunction for Kashmiris to live under Indian law, would they take yet ANOTHER law from India and apply it to the state? The Kashmiri bodies should have debated the apparently regressive unjust customary family laws that governed them and then crafted a unique system of laws, separate to those codified under British rule in India, thereby asserting not only their legal prerogative to legislate themselves, but also their political maturity and readiness for autonomy, or dare I say it, independence.
Here's an idea: if you're a member of a legislation, why don't you bloody try actually WRITING laws once in a while, instead of rubber stamping Indian laws and having them apply within the state? The obvious answer is that these men do not represent Kashmiris in any way, shape, or form. Don't believe the hype about the most recent elections that placed them in power being the free-est and fairest in Kashmir so far. When you have Kashmir's illustrious history of poll-rigging and minister jailing, the distinction is dubious.
I don't really think Kashmiris have lost their damn minds, but the members of the two legislative houses in J&K most definitely have. Good thing no one actually voted for them, otherwise I'd be pretty embarrassed.
Last week, the J&K Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council ratified a bill called the Shariat Bill, which applies Indian Muslim personal law to the State of J&K. The Indian Shariat Act, 1937, which applies to Muslims in the rest of India, did not apply to J&K until its ratification by the state legislative bodies. Jammu and Kashmir is the only state in India that has its own constitution, and Indian laws pertaining to anything other than Defense, Foreign Relations, and Communications (I think those are the magic three), apply in J&K ONLY IF they are ratified by the J&K Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.
These same so-called Kashmiri representatives raised an absolutely absurd hue and cry in 2004 about attempts to create gender equity in Kashmir's state-subjects law, pitching the issue as an affront to J&K's autonomous status within India. They resisted the imperative of the J&K High Court to strike down those state subject laws that are inconsistent with the fundamental rights in the Indian Constitution. I thought the legal position rejecting the high court's decision was sound, but their policy justifications were nothing short of abominable.
These same legislative bodies now want to apply Indian family law to the state, in the interest of, you guessed it, gender equity! The laws that governed family law in Kashmir were rooted in customary practices that were apparently even worse than Indian shariat law (which is no picnic for women either, let's face it). This ratification, however, is a step backwards for these legislative bodies, members of which spend most of their time quibbling over autonomy or self-rule, all while acting in cahoots with the same repressive central government that has shown no interest in respecting any constitutional freedoms guaranteed to Kashmir.
Why in the world, when there is absolutely no legal compunction for Kashmiris to live under Indian law, would they take yet ANOTHER law from India and apply it to the state? The Kashmiri bodies should have debated the apparently regressive unjust customary family laws that governed them and then crafted a unique system of laws, separate to those codified under British rule in India, thereby asserting not only their legal prerogative to legislate themselves, but also their political maturity and readiness for autonomy, or dare I say it, independence.
Here's an idea: if you're a member of a legislation, why don't you bloody try actually WRITING laws once in a while, instead of rubber stamping Indian laws and having them apply within the state? The obvious answer is that these men do not represent Kashmiris in any way, shape, or form. Don't believe the hype about the most recent elections that placed them in power being the free-est and fairest in Kashmir so far. When you have Kashmir's illustrious history of poll-rigging and minister jailing, the distinction is dubious.
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