Immigrants All

rehan

parmeshwar godrej, not ``Pamela Godredge`` (how on earth will you teach bollywood if you cannot get mumbai celebrities right?).

sardarnis (if you were looking for the feminine for sardarjis) and not ``sardaris``.

what happened to kashmir plan? let`s go before/during elections (oct 16).

aakar

I will attend your seminar at the New sCHOOL. You are the most important Pakistani writing today.

wasiq

Re Zafar # 40

Actually pink tourism is a big source of revenue these days so even if Carr does not want to grow Gras under his feet the show might go on. Maybe apna Peter Bettie might steal the show to run it on Gold Coast!

sadna,

[we`re all in this together/actually we are all not]

---my badly phrased interpretation of Rehan`s `our very own`..chalo, not everyone agrees with that. :)

[``Clinton had did it again, knowing exactly what to say to whom.``

I think the author feels petulant that the US has changed its `nazar`, as in `we are the same but our friends the Americans have changed toward us Pakistanis. Indians are now basking in US favor which we were enjoying earlier, how fickle`.]

wow! and i can see why you would come up with such a response, given the paragraph right above it. Petulance, though? Looking at that very last sentence, I came up with nothing but Freud`s `sometimes a cigar is just a cigar`. They don`t call him Slick Willie for nothing you know!

:)

ana

I have no problem with anyone unilaterally calling overweight Indians overweight :)

``we`re all in this together ``
Actually we are all not.

The fact is that Pakistani immigrants,travellers, students, businessmen have now faced problems of restricted movement not only in the US but in the Gulf countries, in places like Philipines and Hongkong. What is the reason? Are Indians responsible?

``Clinton had did it again, knowing exactly what to say to whom.``

I think the author feels petulant that the US has changed its `nazar`, as in `we are the same but our friends the Americans have changed toward us Pakistanis. Indians are now basking in US favor which we were enjoying earlier, how fickle`.

My point has been, if so, author is being petulant to no purpose. Nothing Clinton or Bush can do or say to mollycoddle Pakistanis or show disdain for Indians can change the situation for Pakistanis around the world if Pakistanis donot bring about that change themselves.

Reply Subroto # 32

“With Kiran`s help Rahul and Vijay come out of the closet and move in together as lovers.”

Subrotoda, clearly you have lived for too long in Australia aur hamari convict sanskriti ka asar…vaisai, aap ne suna ke Mardi Gras is ar…I mean, belly up? Or is that just Sydney ka gup shup? They had a good run I guess…tho what Carr is going to do about that alleged $10 million business generated by it I don’t know…

Pathetic drivel, so typical of Rehan Ansari.

So you are going to teach the finer points of Indian cinema.... whats your next course? T-Bone steak recepies from Uttar Pardesh?

sadna.. :)

Point noted. Vaise, I hope personally that I never go to a party where gallopin` G.W participates and speaks..but IF i was to go there, and there were that many overweight Pakistanis (myself included..no brickbats or comments from the idiot gallery!) then I`d beat the Indian writer to the punch :). And before you think I`m making light of the situation facing US immigrants, I`m not because it`s touched all or most of us. It`s a horrible situation, you feel Rehan dealt with it badly, and why shouldn`t you voice your opinion?

And since you did mention the overweight bit, I went back and reread this piece yet again (I had already read it in Mid-day when it first came out):

[The level of fitness was low, men with paunches, heavy jowls and unimaginative haircuts. My sister, who is in advertising, tells me that these days it is all about the body. The

gora rich know it and look it and I was disheartened OUR VERY OWN were not up to date.](caps emphasis mine)

I know you`ve pointed out the difference between an Indian writing and a Pakistani writing, but the reason I was somewhat stunned by what you said was that Rehan doesn`t make that distinction here. Perhaps your criticism stems from the fact that he makes this statement implying we`re all in this together, and then moves on to make a connection with only one group? Is it in the saying `our very own` that he`s malafide???

ana, temporal

temporal says:
``your perception that he foments anti-indian sentiments``

ana says:
``If I am to focus particularly on one group (my own) that is being harassed and persecuted, am I necessarily being malafide because I don`t mention each and every single group that is being harassed and persecuted in my piece.``


I only hope I can emulate your forbearance when an Indian writer attempting a description of evils facing Indian immigrants, finds it relevant to write 500-1000 words about overweight Pakistanis at a lavish Pakistani wedding where GW Bush also participated and spoke.

t:

Just like other things in life, its all too easy to become a captive of the comfort zone as regards ones ``style`` in writing as you put it. To some degree all of us are guilty of that. But then most of us are not featured writers. Rehan on the other hand is one and needs to realize the dangers of becoming too predictable.

I guess I`ll go tend my garden now and leave the field to the groupies.

later

-sac

P.S:I was amazed by the number of desi faces up in your neck of the woods. Pretty soon they`ll have their own MQM ;)

temporal..

yes, writers do have to adjust in order not to lose readers, but readers ka bhi tau kaam hai..readers should dare i say `read responsibly`.

Of course not everyone is going to like everything that Rehan writes, just as everyone is not going to like everything that you write, temporal (i know i haven`t :)). We`re not living in that society portrayed in Fahrenheit 451 where citizens must all think the same. Criticisms towards his writings are valid, and they should help him grow (Rehan, ye tum paRRh rahe ho na?).

sadna,

of course there are things missing..but why must his omission seem malafide. If I am to focus particularly on one group (my own) that is being harassed and persecuted, am I necessarily being malafide because I don`t mention each and every single group that is being harassed and persecuted in my piece. Perhaps if Rehan turned this into a longer piece, then he could address the widespread persecution that certain Indians and Pakistanis suffering across the great USA. My understanding of many of Rehan`s writings is that he writes from the micro, from something that he personally did, or did not witness, thinking that we can all apply it to the macro. And not all of us can..my response to you was merely to say that I did not personally sense the negativity towards Indians that you did.

sadna #33:

[...I have not made any comments against chowk...]

---of course you did not...my apologies......must be the hot chillies last night...:)

...the aaker ref. was in response to your perception that he foments anti-indian sentiments...earlier...i recall he was lambasted by some for being anti-pakistan...guess that is par for the course?...

lve,

t

temporal #31

``and sadnabibi…your comments are misplaced and mis-directed against chowk``

I have not made any comments against chowk. Kindly do me the honor of reading my posts before commenting on them. I donot understand why my posts have to conform to anyone else`s opinions including Aakar Patel`s ?

If you want chowk to be the exclusive preserve of your friends and associates, kindly make arrangements to restrict access or post a notice.

Well Rehan how about some original screen plots for your class. Actually some are original created right now (ekdum taaza maal) now others you may have read before.

ORIGINAL Hindi Movie Plots

Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Boy starts romancing the girl. Girl files harassment suit. Boy in jail.

Two friends play cops and robbers as kids, and while one grows up to be a honest and upright cop, the other also grows up to be a honest upright cop!

A poor young man falls in love with a beautiful and very rich girl and when they approach the wealthy, arrogant and powerful father he happily gets them married!

Consumed by revenge against the corrupt Thakur, angry young man becomes a dacoit. He soon finds that riding on a horse gives him saddle sores. So he surrenders to the police and gets a job as a driver.

Twins separated in a crowded mela grow up in separate towns, doing different jobs, marrying and having children, without ever meeting again!

Young woman in village has dreams of a handsome prince, who rescues her from a life of poverty and drudgery in the village. Handsome prince comes to village and hires young woman as nanny for his young kids with a generous salary package and medical benefits.

The angry young man, who`s mother, sister, brother and kids are killed by the big-time goon, decides to take revenge and reports this to the police who nab and punish the criminal!

Vijay and Rahul are friends. Vijay is in love with Kiran. Kiran is in love with Rahul. Vijay and Rahul have a fight over Kiran but come to realise that she is not the one. With Kiran`s help Rahul and Vijay come out of the closet and move in together as lovers.

Sac bud:

(and scouty, samina, ana, sadna et all)

yaro kyuN ooskay peechay lag ga’aye ho…the guy is talented…(ok send brickbats my way…i will clean the mess on the flor and get ready to weave in and out and duck outta way of your cyber missiles..just give me 72 hours):)…promise

scout,ana
Sorry I have to disagree with you about this article and author`s previous ones.

If as sac says, author has written in a sort of collage, I see too many things missing and his selection of detail to present seems malafide.

For your information, Indians of all shades too have suffered more than their share of post-Sept 11 raids, deportations, unjustified harassment and murder because they physically resemble the ethnic groups involved in 9/11. There is a Sikh-American? body which has been keeping track of these incidents all over the US.

Recently a visiting Indian actress from Kerala of all places was detained for questioning along with her entourage after arousing one passenger`s suspicion on a plane to NY. One of the things they were asked by the authorities : have you travelled recently to Pakistan and Afghanistan?

I am curious, why werenot they asked, have you travelled recently to Bangladesh, Nepal or India?

When will the author with his heightened sensibilities feel curious about this, I wonder?