Isn't it pathetic there are writers incapable of self-reflection who boast THEY DO NOT WRITE FOR MONEY and then expect their books to sell. I mean then you write for what?? Brushing your teeth with capacitors? Or some kind of erection you get from saying it? But no - we're supposed to understand your hidden inheritance; that fixed deposit and apartment your parents left your bleeding butt. Old wealth. I can smell the prestige. like Chanel or something. That such self-effacing greatnesses live among ussses makes me cry. Sitting on all that wealth and dressing like one of us; spending money on books instead of flashinesses.
In other news I'm having some fun curating at Pigmy - which get us to another thing. I'm doing a retrospective of some of my blog posting that never got posted because it piled up in .txts instead.

Whatever you may say, Maureen Dowd is right up my street. Read her here and then here.

Madame Tutli-Putli

Hey, so instead of watching sub-standard Hollywood mulch described in last post, here's something you should try and catch. S mentioned this yesterday! Ofcourse this wasnt inspired by married women who think theyve sorted it out so well for themselves.

The first Hollywood flim I see in years leaves me sniggering from the fourth frame or maybe even the second and discounting 6/10 of the visual content of most frames. This Michael Clayton thing in running for the tra-daah Oscar. The tired trademark devices of outrageously busy office rooms in impressive panic mode where everyone succeeds (to me, hilariously) in appearing busy and if they're important, also fashionably distressed so they get to rub their face and put a hand on their hip. Dialogues that carry the audience along; allowing them to snoop on some intense affair of involved jargon. Then the usual pyrotechnics for relief and then a line that makes a desperate-for-cooption Indian audience exclaim and puff and guffaw at: 'I am Shiva, the God of Death'. Only both times it was spoken I heard it as: 'I am Sheba, the God of Death'. Ok, anyway, that really makes the grade.Lawfirm vs. biotech co. Sooo this is an Erin Brokovich, Bourne Identity overlap that's taken the worst of each and brought in little else except hack and treadmill dialogue only 2/10ths of which anyone understands unless they really care and watch it a second time. Again its male-dominated, women are artless or shakily crafty which I know is true in real life but in the last year I've begun to see a good majority of well- grounded, rounded women. On the whole, flim-flam waste of time. Oh and there's all that dolby-digital gravitas thing going to forbode some pyrotechnic or the other.

That brings me to a little tribute I'd like to make to my companions of the evening 'IS' and 'S' who have taught me a couple of lessons in the little time I've known them. Their stable, undemanding and free-willed selves have taught me that company is best enjoyed for itself and is ruined by demands. Their ancient friendship is before me and there is no other set of guys I have enjoyed drinking with as much, even if at any time, one or the other or both have some excuse for abstaining. Well. Here's a mug to them.

Exhibition on till March 30

Venue: NCBS
Already begun, exhibition on till March 30th 2008, 9.30 am to 5.30 pm, Monday to Friday
Curator: Annamma Spudich
More details

Wikileaks

global defense of sources and press freedoms, circa now—

Tuesday 19 February, 2008

1. This, my friends, is news of the day: Following a Calif Court ruling, wikileaks.org was taken offline. Who was petitioning what? "The case was brought by a Swiss bank after "several hundred" documents were posted about its offshore activities.[Source: BBC]". The bank in question is Julius Baer and it was whistle-blown upon by Wikileaks.

But is this an empty victory for Baer? Because there be mirror sites. You can read the offending documents here: http://wikileaks.be/wiki/Full_correspondence_bewtween_Wikileaks_and_Bank_Julius_Baer
And here is an an instance of someone who got jittery about wikileaks back in March. I mean downright hostile - he gets to reputation even.

2. In other news, with a exciting ruling awaited on the BAE-slushfund-Saudi case any time now. This appears the latest development: Blair used 'irresistible pressure' to halt investigation into BAE-Saudi arms deal

Can the media try covering new Indian authors who avoid: summing it up as 'love and loss', protagonist pairs like twins or alteregos, inclusion of pickle factories, getting their blurb photos taken by their caring husbands*, auspicious references to critical time done abroad. does it go on?
Honestly the most original and sensible English writing in India today are translations from the vernacular.
The metro English stuff is just self-conscious piddling. To make things worse their champions try to make a fashion statement while theyre at it. With all the sub-standard stuff parading I'm ready to read only in kannada or malayalam; only its going to take some time. Movies should help.
*this is to send the message that the author has a rich nude private life

clinton: the common crafty catty shrew
obama: exceptional

Sarah Lucas

Nayi Neralu (Based on a novel by S L Bhyrappa)

Exquisitely composed, sensibly paced and simply reassuring. In sets, Kasarvalli has dispensed with the responsibility of weighty historical fidelity in details by keeping it spare, but this is alright and even possibly accurate. If I had a problem with anything, it would be in the continuation of historical representation in stories of a kind placing the brahmin woman as queen of virtue and the tribal woman as available. (If at all such a thing is about virtue and worth making declarations on, I know only too many half or full brahmin sluts, legs and home wide open like a venus flytrap, clinching a marriage out of their life's only catch along with their balls.) This perceived flaw in the ethics of the narrative occurs to me only much later though, and again - this should be laid at the door of Bhyrappa.

I loved it and it was perfectly and quietly concluded with Venkatalakshmi's 'radical conversion of her being-in-the-world'.

I want to make it this Sunday 7:30 am to the Glass House. really do. and you?
(Following post will list all we found)
Brahminy Kite
Pariah Kite
White-cheeked barbet
Koel (male-female)
Coucal
Spotted doves (making out)
Grey drongo
Palm swift
Golden Oriole (small!)
House Crows
Jungle Crows
(Prasad addressed himself largely to the kids which is fine; they were a more loyal audience, unlike a group of flitty adults who insisted on getting distracted by 'Visit Shimla' salesboys and similar sideshows. Subbu was in better form sketching with strange enthusaism for kids)

Wanted: either The Sea or Book of Evidence