Cactus Gas

Hoped very much some people can help me,This is a very good movie,But China domestic cannot find actually.My email address is l_echo_y@yahoo.Com.Cn.
Thanks extremely!

I am interested very much to this article, very wants to look for the movie which in your article said, but I looked had not found under for a long time the correlation in the address. Hoped very much you can provide some information to me. Thanks!

Maybe the central character`s name should have been Dung Bahadur/Salar Dung/Carl Dung. But then I understand this was a parody of oncentions and generic distinctions in traditional literature - classified under Dadaji Ki Kahani.

Nadeem

Mine was just a taunt calling you an ex-anarchist now developing facist tendencies. I actually enjoyed this piece and am well aware that your facist dialogue is your usual way of capturing everything you find so absured about life`s politics and religions.

And yes must tell you that I am intrigued for how long can you go on with your absurdist points of views and bank on this violent style of writing to communicate these views without finally going insane?

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jang,perhaps wrong choice of words(by me).wht i meant by 2 way is self knowledge is both for the writer n the reader.

ana please continue with the do-annas no problms whatsoever.

rahul, got it, and concur. me not being a ``writer``, this was a recent dicovery for me personally (i.e. while writng chowk posts).

dont agree that self-knowledge is 2-way though. its pure one way, you and your demons.

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ana ..the reason i brought up naiyar masud here is that i have an impression tht he is also something of an absurdist..thanx for the feedback..i will try to get hold of a copy of his urdu book in devnagri..

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jang.. if a writer writes something and someone points out what it can mean..the writer would take that and reflect why he wrote what he wrote..and the other way around..if you say something about ur perception and then the writer says that actually he meant something else..then u may reflect why u perceived what u perceived..so self knowledge is got to be a two way street..
besides - .in this interaction both of u are bound to take each others version with a pinch of salt..the writer may perceive that u may have an ulterior motive in interpreting someting and u may also perceive that the writer may have an ulterior motive(may be lying or reinterpreting) when he says that he actually meant that..so this would in turn colour yours and his subsequent interactions..so any absolute knwoledge about self is probably very difficullt in both parties .. besides probably in the unconscious..
and without waiting to review what i have wrote..i am posting it.. probably makes very little sense

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jang #53:

ah, that you would have to ask the artist himself. :)

and you`re welcome for the do-anna. i`ll try not to jump in the line of fire again! :)

ana, thanx for you do-ana, i am aware of the fat-cow slur used in the west. and ugly girls are called dogs, and not bitches.

i am interested to know if the artist discovered anything about himself by writing this article. writing is as productive as lying on a shrinks couch ..some bravery and honesty is needed however to face the discoveries. these discoveries alas are lost in the cobwebs of BS like nihilism and dada.

jang. . .

we both know pakistanis are not going to admit to any such thing. not here on chowk at least. and then pakistanis will bring up things indians should admit and then it gets to be one vicious circle with these assumptions and presumptions, and misconceptions and other -tions that aren`t coming to mind right now.

and if the artist is indeed ducking from his warts. . . which is interesting because his warts have been fair game here ever since he first published. . . i wonder about that, because somewhere, #29 perhaps, he says:

. . . Like my most works in this mode, this is ``absurd`` in the double sense that it is grotesquely comic and also irrational and non-consequential; it is a parody not only of the traditional assumptions of Indian and Pakistani culture. . . . .

there is your admission right there, by the ``artist``. . . the assumptions that are made by each of us about each other`s cultures, cows, brahma bulls, what have you. as for the fat cow being a metaphor about hindu women f*****g, that is your way of looking at it, but here`s another one: i had referred earlier to fat-bottomed girls being referred to as cows. not just cows, but fat cows. and not just fat hindu women, but all fat women. you don`t know how many times i`ve heard my best friend and i referred to as fat cows. and we`re not hindu. we are pakistani and iranian. my desi friends, indian and pakistani, refer to big women as fat cows. are women animals? it is irrational for women to be referred to as cows, or bitches and yet we call them that, and we call men dogs and pigs and donkeys.

i`m not trying to rationalize the irrational. but i am saying that making a conclusion such as a fat cow being a metaphor about hindu women might possibly be too narrow of a conclusion to make. pakistani men refer to pakistani women as fat cows if they don`t look or act a certain way. which is why i still say poor cows. and poor women? i was incredibly uncomfortable by this depiction and the language used for this woman, but the ``artist`` is showing the irrationality of men in this character when it comes to sex, religion, and nationalism. . . and undoubtedly he must have warts of his own as well. :)

and before i`m taken to task for having defended NFP. . .i know he`s perfectly capable of defending himself. i just thought that as a designated ``fat cow`` that i could respond to this as well.

Cool

``And people, why is it wrong to equate cows with Hinduism? Is it because NFP does so in his usual offensive way or is it something else? I`m curious.``

Nothing wrong. I just want pakis to admit it, which they seem not to. Cows have always been hindu..even the Brahma Bulls.

You know the connection..hindu-bovine-good for slaughter.
And then the fat-cow metaphor is about hindu-women-good for fcking.

the ``artist`` should have honesty to accept his dark side. in fact, he should be excited that he stumbled on it inadvertantly, is this not what writing about? we all write to learn more about ourselves.

this artist claims to show the warts of nationalism, but ducks from his warts which pop out and are obvious to me. very pathetic.

nihilism my ass. a good artist to me is a minimalist.

#42 ana
~~and i got lost on `oncentions` :) ye kis cheez ki bala hai?~~

Blimy! A thousand apologies. I meant ``conventions.``

#46 feedback
~~You certainly have a facist sideas well my roudy leftwing anarchist. ~~

Whatever that makes you happy and me less confusing for you, feedback. Hail!

This was pretty hilarious, NFP. Waaay out there. But it just didn`t go the distance ``acidity`` went.
And people, why is it wrong to equate cows with Hinduism? Is it because NFP does so in his usual offensive way or is it something else? I`m curious.

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Nadeem
Yes I suggested that this is your most nihilistic piece yet, and to further dissapoint you I feel in Cactus Gas the nihilistic style and content cannot be called the nihilism of pre-Russian-Revolution nihilists but rather what is called Nietzschean nihilism. You certainly have a facist sideas well my roudy leftwing anarchist.

rahul:#43

i`ve read essence of camphor, by naiyer masud. a collection of short stories translated from urdu into english. they`re quite good. . .and i would recommend him

#39 by baaghiraja

“But what can I possibly say to a person who calls me ugly and genius in a single post? Other than maybe thank you or up yours you unskillful banterer!!”

Oh man! …. And that was a compliment!

Here are two ugly and one genius take your pick.

Now don’t start drooling! Not in your Banglore league!

nfp- thanks for the lucid reply.
Has anybody read Naiyer Masud?

harish #30

i don`t mean to derail the conversation, or move away from topic here, but it has been a long time since you`ve graced us with your presence on chowk, and hope that all is well :)

baaghiraja #29

i`m not entirely certain how you determined i was taking thaaat narrow of a view, but when i said you spared neither indians nor pakistanis, i meant in ``showing`` their absurdities vis-a-vis religion, nationalism, patriotism. . .i don`t see this as being anti- anything really. . . i do see this as rather grotesque exaggerations to show certain attitudes in regards to the religion-nationalism-patriotism nexus.

and i got lost on `oncentions` :) ye kis cheez ki bala hai?

~a.

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#30 by HN
Thank you HN for the appreciation. Trying to be a forerunner in what you have suggested may be an unconscious desire, but like I tried to explain in Acidity’s (albeit blotched) intro, I still believe that the contemporary fusing of early and mid 20th Century prose styles like the Cutup Method, Dadaism and “Existential Absurdism” is still the most effective way to relate and comment the spontaneous chaos that, to me, is making the early 21st century seem so hilariously dark and tragically absurd. Either I’m just too paranoid (which does not necessarily mean I’m wrong, mind you), or this is just my way of now playing the sardonic (and as someone here suggested, “nihilistic”) court jester, instead of the “angry young man” who once actually believed in the logic and persuasive power of cohesive literary narratives as a means to bring about change.

#31 by Warlus on August 17, 2004 11:31pm PT
~~NFP, I still don`t really know what to make of it.The lucid but eddying and pointless dialogue is often funny, and pratfalls and other modes of slapstick seem to be used to project alienation and tragic anguish but was there
an agenda to offend as well? My 2 cents.~~

The dialogue is not pointless, Warlus. Otherwise you wouldn’t have found it funny. And yes the slapstick (and more) is projecting a prominent form of alienation and anguish (as ana has so well observed), but the agenda? I have no agendas anymore, Warlus. Only desires. Especially to amuse myself and those who enjoy watching me amuse myself. I’d rather listen to my sense of humor when to laugh than be told by a bloody sit-com laugh-machine, dig?

#32 by Urstruly on August 18, 2004 5:58am PT

~~How rebellious - in a conformist`s sort of way. ~~

How clever – in a sarcastic sort of way.

#33 by nikki7777
Sickki7777, you’re such a dude, man. All 7 of you. And thank you for sharing with us your latest favorite fetish. At least we now know that you DO take the occasional bath. And too, golden.

#34 by Nass
~~ Nadeem. I dare you to top this~~
Nass, one piece of literary absurdism (or for that matter any absurdity) cannot top another. Thus yours is an absurd question.

#33 jang
~~bhagiraja, it was reaaaly long and that was the biggest problem with us short-attention spanners. and yet the training showed and is immediately apreciated by hp. now, i dont know if it was intentional or not. the article was demeaning to the bovine and definatlely be codemned by RSPCA and the Dalai Lama (that capitalist lap-dog).~~

Jang, I sure hope your tongue is in the cheek, here. Waisay, I think the Dalai Lama should be send to the mountains of Nepal to negotiate peace with that country’s Maoist guerillas on behalf of the Nepali monarchy.

#36 by aboutturn on August 18, 2004 7:22am PT
~~nadeem/baghiraja #18
Now who can possibly be more weird than you. You are hate-able as well as loveable,
charming as well as hedonistic , sexy as well as crude. Take this as a compliment, buster.~~

“Compliment” taken. But this STILL doesn’t change my views about The News. That newspaper I once LOVED to work for but now HATE. Take this as the truth, sister.

#37 HP
~~I was expecting a reply to my post in your own -in your face- style. So lets have it and play with it. May be I will learn some banter-ing(?) skills.~~

But what can I possibly say to a person who calls me ugly and genius in a single post? Other than maybe thank you or up yours you unskillful banterer!!

rgds,
NfP

jang: #35

i certainly can`t speak for pakistanis and glad they are of it, but i for one do not see cows as hindus. anyone who ascribes hinduness to cows is ignorant and absurd.

men and women insult each other by calling each other cows. i think that is more an insult to cows than to men and women. and then fat-bottomed girls (who make the rockin` world go round) are cursorily referred to as cows. poor cows! and poor fat-bottomed girls! we humans are a pathetic lot, we are!

and cows or those related to cows don`t need passports or religion. . .they just need loads of chaara. . .as is expressed in this song:

mere bhains ko DanDa kyooN maara?
woh aa ke chaara khhati thi
tere baap ki woh kya karti thi?

:)

#29 by baaghiraja

I think you misread my post. I have no problem whatsoever with your discussing Pakistan and its leadership in a lighter vain. In fact, I enjoyed it throughly and would remain a fan.

I am not stuck up on National pride or religion as much as the so called secularist from across the border are.

I was expecting a reply to my post in your own -in your face- style. So lets have it and play with it. May be I will learn some banter-ing(?) skills.

nadeem/baghiraja #18
Now who can possibly be more weird than you. You are hate-able as well as loveable,
charming as well as hedonistic , sexy as well as crude. Take this as a compliment, buster.

Nadeem
I dare you to top this? I bet you thought that you instead of Sammual Becket was the last word in literary absurdism. But I`ve always wondered and you already know this, what is or was dadaism`s intellectual goal. Mere shock and madness or something more? I`ve enjoyed your journalistic work but your fiction disturbs me.

#21 ana
``is some crap that indian men are potty-trained with in regards to pakistanis??? *angelic smile*``

I dont know, you tell me. I dont know of any similar training regarding paki women. Tell me if you know of some. Also dont you pakis think that cows are hindus? Come on, tell the truth.

bhagiraja, it was reaaaly long and that was the biggest problem with us short-attention spanners. and yet the training showed and is immediately apreciated by hp. now, i dont know if it was intentional or not. the article was demeaning to the bovine and definatlely be codemned by RSPCA and the Dalai Lama (that capitalist lap-dog).

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How rebellious - in a conformist`s sort of way.

jang, ana, HP, raul,
Do not take this as anti-Hindu/india or as feedback suggested as anti-islam/Pakistan. It`s not all that narrow. It`s just about the problems I have with the whole concept of nationalism, patriotism and religion being slotted togather to reflect macho ideals about sex, God and country. It`s absured. I think my writings such as this and Acidity project the irrationalism, helplessness and absurdity of life in dramatic forms that reject realistic settings, logical reasoning, or a coherently evolving plot. At least that`s how I see them and life in general. Thus I should be forgiven (ironically, quite unlike the people who are finding this ``ugly`` For them I`d suggest ``realistic`` works such as Moth Smoke and Meatless Days). *giggle*
Like my most works in this mode, this is ``absurd`` in the double sense that it is grotesquely comic and also irrational and non-consequential; it is a parody not only of the traditional assumptions of Indian and Pakistani culture, but of the oncentions and generic distinctions in traditional literature.
Man, that sounded good.

rgds,
NfP

Nadeem,

Very DADA this piece, like most of yours. Though Beat generation writing, Kerouc and Burroguhs and Ginsberg, is considered rather dated curios in the west, there are no sub-continental versions. You might be a forerunner there. But, I felt it is rather too derivative. The generation destroyed by the unique sub-continental madness needs voice, but too much of this seems to reflect the kerouc-ginsberg-burroughs heritage.

All said, it was a good read.

NFP, I still don`t really know what to make of it.The lucid but eddying and pointless dialogue is often funny, and pratfalls and other modes of slapstick seem to be used to project alienation and tragic anguish but was there
an agenda to offend as well? My 2 cents.

Apparently illiterate ramblings these days pass for art. Oh well, to each his own, I`m just gonna make a graceful exit through the door Paracha has so kindly offered....

u start from the beginning..when there was nothing and then question why everything is required..like religion,nationalism etc.etc. and weave ur story around some philosphical premise??? or these are the words that come to ur head and u just put them down ? i am interested in your modus operandi..i know it is something like asking the soup nazi his recipe ..and i would understand if u choose not to answer..
and i dont think using obscene words is obscene per se..obsceneity is more in how the words are deployed..

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NFP,
I mostly ignore your article because honestly they are beyond me and you are ugly. For a simple person like me, deep is too much. I would just go with quick ones and get out of there. Mostly, I prefer gloryholes or swedish massages. Chines is not bad sometimes and costs less. I read this after reading jang’s comment below about potty training etc. Must say that I am enlightened by this article, narrative or whatever you wanna call it.
I think these are the best lines of the whole whatever-it-is:

““Strangely, all your talk is actually giving me a huge erection!”
“Well, what are we waiting for, then. Let’s hump. And do keep your promise.”
“ How often do you get humped?”
“Oh, four or five times a day” “Strangely, all your talk is actually giving me a huge erection!”

It never occurred to me that competition between Indian and Pakistani nationalist can be soooo stimulating. How huge Btw?

Now, was the reference to four or five times a subtle take on namaz four or five times a day or were you implying that she was doing it four of five times a day to despise a musslas begging to ride her?

Best ever copmarison of the two countries that I have ever come across and NFP, I say you are a genius!

India for you:
“Hey, I never wanted it! I just want to get the hell out of this confused country run by fundo Hindu fucks, supported by kinky bourgeoisie tramps, and upstart yuppie brains chocked with Cocacola capitalism and stomachs constipated with traditional Gandhian thalie!”

Here is Pakistan for you.

“Gee, I hardly see the difference if you compare it with a country run by BA-pass urban feudals, ulcerated capitalist thugs, penis-friendly mullah lobbies and military hardware on parade in the corridors of the National Assembly always smelling of warm Pepsi burps and lassie farts!”

Need anybody say more?

Good shiat! (Well! I like to sound condescending.)
PS.
``lassie farts!!!`` Hehehe....As in the drink or the TV dog or in economics???This was little too much for me.

baaghiraja:

it`s here, finally. where`s trashman so i can tell him i told him so? ;)

i don`t know if i`ll have that much different to say than i did on the last interactor board this was on, but here goes anyway. . .

i remember finding this rather offputting at first. because the protagonist comes across to me as being somewhat misogynistic, and xenophobic. . . his words certainly come across as such. words describing this as sick then are really of no surprise because this is a comment on certain segments of our society, and it is sick.

dung is a metaphor here that you`ve built the piece around, rather reflective of your humor. but this piece has a lot to do with identity. the protagonist is constantly in quest of answers in terms of his identity, and he ultimately becomes the identity he is so focused on throughout his life. how much should we focus on one particular identity to the exclusion of all else?

and this is what i get about this, and what i like about it, a few reads later is that in the exchanges between the various characters, there are critiques/questions on nationalism, ethnocentrism, religion, the feudal system, all these things that are such strong elements of our identity. and of course the non-surprise: your references to coke and pepsi. :)

in the releasing of the cactus gas, and the dung, the question arises (pun perhaps intended) does it really matter where we come from. . .it is what we make of ourselves and the life around us that matters. and how do we do that?

oh, and the parodying of melodramatic desi movies towards the end is hilarious!

best,
ana

jang:

i must add by way of correction something to your stereotype crap that some pakistani men are potty-trained with:

all women (regardless of national identity) are to be *bleeped*!!!!!

and what pray yell (oops typo, but it works as well) is some crap that indian men are potty-trained with in regards to pakistanis??? *angelic smile*

vaisay paracha is highlighting the absurdities of the main character, and spares neither pakistanis nor indians, so i hope you`re not spoiling for yet another india vs. pakistan muqaabla? :)

observed some standard stereotype crap pakis are potty-trained with

- all cows are hindus
- hindu women are to be fcked
- bangalore envy

overall it was very long and no grip

#1 Niki777
~~PERVERT.!....THE ABOVE IS PLAIN VOMIT INDUCING GARBAGE.....THOO

I love thoo too, niki777.
Rgds,
nfp666.

#2 Che Guevara
Gracias, comrade.

#3 by Saminasha
~~Christ on a crutch...I read the title and immediately thought this was about Echoboom Sahib...is it?~~

No, Saminasha. But maybe Echoboom is for this?

#4 by halur
~~The revenge of the burqua brigade. ~~

Who, echoboom?

#5 by twintopaz
~~SICK..u r~~

My deepest condolences, twinpadz.

#6 by catonahotinroof
Make up your mind, catona. Either you found it interesting or you didn’t. Why the middle-ground?

#7 by soundmeister

~~And whatever happened to:

Dear Nadeem Paracha,

This is a preview window. Objectionable content that maybe edited out is highlighted. If you are satistfied with your post then select the submit button below. To make changes to your reply select the back button. ~~

Dear soundmeister ,

This is an exit door. And out you go!

#9 by echoboom
Echoboom, that’s a Kelvin Klein T-Shirt you’re wearing aren’t you? Oh you foreigner, you.

#10 by aboutturn
~~Weird is an understatement for this. ~~

Sounds weird coming from you, aboutturn.

# 11 by Warlus on August 17, 2004 8:12am PT
~~LOLZZ! Look what the cat dragged in??~~

Yup. soundmeister’s moaning head, echo’s foreign roots, niki777’s puritanical 888’s, and
kaurasach’s anti-kanjar lotta. And by the way, yes the cat dragged them in but spat them out as fluffy hairballs. Cute, na?

#15 feedback
No, feedback. The truth is I’ve actually found God!

#16 by kaurasach
~~I guess there is no limit to the kanjarpana and perversity these days.~~

Is that word Latin or Arabic? Especially these days. And that throat you’re stuck in is my cat’s!
What do you mean it’s not a throat, you pervert!

so the fat cow was the bang-galoran right?

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Okay, interesting read, NFP, but why the blunt anti-Hindu and anti-Islam stand? This was written as if you were taking yourself from anarchism to nihilism. This is your most nihilist piece to date.

Nadeem, this is like breakneck fiction, and knowing you I am sure you wrote it just
to tick off many anti-vulgarity pundits on chowk? I`ll read it again to overcome the initial shock.

I think you`re confusing me with someone else mate.

Che Guevera

What happened to that saga dude around your article about the corp commander assasination attempt, something that got put on and then was removed. Whats the story there????

LOLZZ! Look what the cat dragged in??

Holy Moly. Don`t know what to make of it, Nadeem. Made me laugh, made me cringe,
made me scratching my head in amazement. Weird is an understatement for this.

Soundmeister:

Sunay jaatay na thhay tuum sey miray din raat kay shikvay
kafan sarkaaO, mairee baizubaani dakhtay jaaO.

---

Khultaa kissi pay kyooN miray dil kaa muaamlaa
shairoN* kay intikhaab nay rusvaa kiyaa mujhhay.

* aur mazmoonoaN bhee.

CHOWK staff is exposing dil-kaa-muaamla in no uncertain terms what they consider :``offensive, crude, repugnant, or obscene``. Please be grateful that you are tolerated as an audience and interactor. Agreed, that they need this ``baraat`` as well. After all, they do represent the elite which is responsible for a ``moderate``, ``enlightened`` and ``soon-to-be first-world Pakistan``. They are determined to make the `twain meet.

A simpler way would be to operate Pakistan according to the Greenwich Mean Time. Poof! the `natives` will be `foreigners`.

Oh THIS they can publish- and stuff I submit is -what? Too dull?

What`s all this supposed to mean anyway?



And whatever happened to:

Dear Nadeem Paracha,

This is a preview window. Objectionable content that maybe edited out is highlighted. If you are satistfied with your post then select the submit button below. To make changes to your reply select the back button.

Oh THIS they can publish- and stuff I submit is -what? Too dull?

What`s all this supposed to mean anyway?



And whatever happened to:

We encourage all to participate in discussions. All we ask you to be is civil. If your post includes words or masked references that are offensive, crude, repugnant, or obscene, your post will be duly deleted. We thank you for your participation.

A few quick excerpts: interesting read, shows creativity, also your bhaighairat attitude, though it can be put down to your ‘Failures’ in life (better luck next time), must say that the writing has sparks, touches nerves but fails to impress, as it seems like you never grew out of your rebellious childhood,

The point to uncover all the underlying shits of hypocrisy, the naked candidness, which has become so common of our society, the never ending ruckus over the Pak Indian relations, the abuse, the frustrations all hit me, very well tackled, but yaar, why that childish jerk/atheist/I am wannabe cool because of my using sex/abuse lingo- attitude,

It is still 2004, people read such stuff and get impressed by cheap shit, but a day into 2005, it will all be over, with every one writing about sex shit even in newspapers, what will u do than to express yourself (read, impress others)…
Any ways, hoping to see a better piece, adios…

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The revenge of the burqua brigade.

Christ on a crutch...I read the title and immediately thought this was about Echoboom Sahib...is it?

Tear inducing (in a good way), it was absolutely heart warming

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