The screening of the film has opened up controversies that i knew would be created but the viciousness of it all has me baffled. not only have i been called unpatriotic but accused of being sucked into idealistic left-leaning "pseudo-liberal" fundamentalist rhetoric. one guy actually asks whether for the sake of telling the truth, we need to go around publicizing it? while i brushed aside the question as being silly it does question our agency as 'progressive liberals' and our own complicity in the growth of a normative hegemonic nationalistic ideology.

The poem below by pakistani poet faiz ahmed faiz is not only beautiful but also appropriate in this climate.

bol ke lab azaad hai tere
bol zabaan ab tak teri hai
tera suthwa jism hai tera
bol ke jaan ab tak teri hai
....
bol ye thoda waqt bahut hai
jism-o-zubaan kii maut se pehle
bol, ke sach zindaa hai ab tak
bol, jo kuchh kehna hai kah le


Speak, for your lips are free
Speak, this tongue is still yours
Your bare body is yours
Speak, for life is still yours
....
Speak, this limited time is a lot
Before the death of body and tongue
Speak, for truth is still alive
Speak, say all that you wish

- faiz ahmed faiz

In a conundrum fuelled by fascist regimes and apathetic governments, 'Final Solution' is an attempt to chronicle the brutal events of a state-sponsored genocide that occurred in Gujarat, India in the year 2002. It is a study of the politics of hate. In 2002, India saw about 2,500 Moslems being brutally murdered, hundreds of women raped and more than 200,000 families left homeless. Right-wing Hindu fundamentalists argued that this bloodshed was necessary to retaliate against the equally brutal and senseless burning and killing of 58 Hindus on the Sabarmati Express train at Godhra, Gujarat on February 27, 2002. The film examines the aftermath of the deadly violence that followed this event between the months February 2002 - July 2003. Borrowing the chilling term Endöslung, meaning the systematic relocation and murders by the Nazis, for the title of his film, Rakesh Sharma seeks to remind that "those who forget history are condemned to relive it."

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Film: 'Final Solution' (2004), 148 mins, India
Director: Rakesh Sharma (Filmmaker will be in attendance)
Venue: Room 112, Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo
Date: April 26th, 6.00 p.m -9.00 p.m
Contact: Swati Bandi – sbandi@buffalo.edu; 716-536-1928
Rima Aranha - raranha@buffalo.edu; 716-796-5641

finally, after many months of waiting, my nephew is here. He was born December 20, 2004 at 9 lbs and 10 ounces. he is the most gorgeous baby I have ever seen and I am right now i love. And in other news, I have been accepted into the PhD program and they are giving me monies, i was their "top choice" they said. Life is good and life is good.

Here's Dhruv (named after the north star)



And here's aunty and nephew

type and so i drag my ass back to this site. my elder sister in new york is having a baby this week. i am gonna be a pinnamaa( that telugu for aunty)! and also am moving to frightfully expensive place because i feel like spending some more money i don't have. what fun i say!

I was one of those with the cabernet and cheetos...

CANADA BUSY SENDING BACK BUSH-DODGERS
Joe Blundo,
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration. The re-election of President Bush is prompting the exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray and agree with Bill O'Reilly. Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal-rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night. "I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota. The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. "He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left. Didn't even get a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?" In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. So he tried installing speakers that blare Rush Limbaugh across the fields. "Not real effective," he said. "The liberals still got through, and Rush annoyed the cows so much they wouldn't give milk." Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals Near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons, drive them Across the border and leave them to fend for themselves. "A lot of these people are not prepared for rugged conditions," an Ontario border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a drop of drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley cabernet, though." When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often Wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about the Bush administration establishing re-education camps in which liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR. In the days since the election, liberals have turned to sometimes-ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have taken to posing as senior citizens on bus trips to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half-dozen young vegans disguised in powdered wigs, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizen passengers. "If they can't identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we get suspicious about their age," an official said. Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and renting all the good Susan Sarandon movies. "I feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them," an Ottawa resident said. "How many art-history majors does one country need?" In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada, Vice President Dick Cheney met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged that the administration would take steps to reassure liberals, a source close to Cheney said. "We're going to have some Peter, Paul & Mary concerts. And we might put some endangered species on postage stamps. The president is determined to reach out."

the cup runneth over and i cannot find bigger mugs. im leaving. tata.

you guys must think I am a pig, for inviting you guys to a party and forgetting all about it. sorry. will update in the near future. things have happened and I cannot do anything

No cats and dogs in my house and I am thinking 2 weeks time is good time for a party?

I am running out of journal titles,seriously. It troubles me much when I have to sit and think about a title, I never was much of a name-caller ;) .

So today was the first day of school. It was cool. Now I cannot write too. Anyways I shall persist. I realized for the first time in my life that I cannot bullshit as well as I thought I could. When asked in class what my research interest was I proceded to splutter and barely managed to string and incoherent thread of slightly disguised crap about my interest in Domestic violence amongst immigrant women of South asian origin. I am deeply interested in the subject but for the life of me could not think straight and coalesce many many tiny threads of thought into one. I hate it. Does it happen to other people too? Please write and make me feel better. I discovered when I got my first Masters degree that bullshitting was integral to academia. I soon grew to love it and got quite good with it. But lately my pretentiousness has bit me in my more than ample arse and I have taken to looking at people who continue to do so with great contempt derison and loathing, note here my use of words, Ah... the familiar traces of pretence.
And I also realized that there is familiar nagging feeling that I think crept up on me one day when I was asleep. I feel completely, thoroughly displaced. I love Buffalo but I love the dirt and grime and familiarity of old familiar lanes that take you to hot sambhar and rice. Going back to school was a culture shock. I realize that I sing the same words as everyone but I hear a different song in my head.

In other thoughts, how many of you e-peeps would like a Bhangra dance party and Indian food fiesta? Please post votes. I can accomodate about 15 people at my place and I am itching to shake da ass

type

I have been asked these questions many times people...

Q. Why do Indian women wear red dots on their foreheads?
A. Well, in ancient times, Indian men used to practice archery skills by target practicing by aiming at their wife's red dot. In fact, that is one of the reasons why they had many wives. You see, once they mastered the art of archery and hit the target...
Q. You're from India? I have read so much about the country. All the wonderful places, the forests, the snake charmers, the elephants. Do you still use elephants for transportation?
A. Absolutely. In fact we used to have our own elephant in our house. But later, we started participating in elephant ride-sharing schemes with our neighbors, to save the air. You see elephants have an "emissions" problem.....
Q. Does India have cars?
A. No. We ride elephants to work. The government is trying to encourage ride-sharing schemes.
Q. Does India have TV?
A. No. We only have cable.
Q. Are all Indians vegetarian?
A. Yes. Even tigers are vegetarian in India.
Q. Are you a Hindi?
A. Yes. I am spoken everyday in Northern India.
Q. Do you speak Hindu?
A. Yes, I also speak Jewish, Islam and Christianity.
Q. Is it true that everyone there is very corrupt?
A. Yes, in fact, I had to bribe my parents so that they would let me go to school.
Q. India is very hot, isn't it?
A. It is so hot there that all the water boils spontaneously. That is why tea is such a popular drink in India.
Q. Are there any business companies in India?
A. No. All Indians live on the Gandhian prinicples of self-sufficiency. We all make our own clothes and grow our own food. That is why you see all these thin skinny Indians; it is is a lot of hard work.
Q. Indians cannot eat beef, huh?
A. Cows provide milk which is a very essential part of Indian diet. So eating cows is forbidden. However in order to decrease the population of the country, the government is trying to encourage everyone to eathuman meat.
Q. India is such a religious place. Do you meditate regularly?
A. Yes, sometimes I meditate for weeks without food and drink. But it is difficult to keep my job, because I have to miss work when I meditate like that. But the bosses there do the same thing. That is why things are so inefficient there.
Q. I saw on TV that people there walk on burning coals. Why do they do that?
A. We don't have shoes. So we burn the bottom of our feet to make it hard so that we can walk. Japanese