Reference Point

Here is an admission. Frogji's comments on my earlier post have kind of perplexed me. He asked why language in bollywood cinema so infused with Urdu. This was news to me. Assuming he is talking about contemporary bollywood cinema, its language is that its audience is most comfortable with, i.e. Hindi/Hindustani. Urdu ceased to be a language of cinema long ago, and since use of Sanskritized Hindi was never widespread it is hardly an option.
Then it struck me that the reason why our observations are so divergent has to do with our experience. Frogji not hailing from Hindi heartland is obviously not familiar with Hindi the way it is spoken there. Therefore it makes sense to make explicit my reference point, which is the video embedded below. This is what I will consider Urdu infused language.

A note here, this too is relative. For my father's generation which actually could read and write Urdu this video won't be very difficult to understand.

Is Indian Blogosphere Dead ?

No flame wars, no heated argument spanning over multiple blogs, no mocking, damn, I really miss 2005 (that’s when I started reading blogs).

(I think) I just missed the era of Jivha (who I know, much like Carvakians, only via rebuttals of Ravikiran)

Anyway the first, and, although I have been fortunate enough to enjoy other flame wars (I have never been part of any AFAIK), most memorable, flame war I witnessed was between bleeding hearts (DCubed, his boy toy etc.) and cartel. That all is now water under bridge though, the present silence reminding one of graveyard.

Though I have to admit, I do find absence of a certain passive aggressive neo-con a relief.

Generic Blogging*

May be I am easily excitable but by the mace of mighty Mahabali this is made of pure awesome, in fact it is epic.

 

*Derived from generic programming.

Strategery

Amarji asks how can Hindu Fascists can get hold over Hindi film industry. This is an important question. As it happens I have a plan

1. People pimp my blog like TOI pimps Sherlyn Chopra. increasing page views and ranking.
2. With increased visibility my blog-fu becomes more awesome.
3. I take down sec-lib establishment.

Pretend

You're not supposed to read The Art Of Computer Programming, you're supposed to put it prominently on your bookshelf and pretend you're cleverer than you actually are.

 

May be that makes me apostate but seriously dude Assembly Language !

RIP

J . D. Salinger

Jihad Chic

This news article cum typical TOI promo bilge is kind of old but nevertheless instructive. On occasion of release of Kurbaan (second movie of Jihadi weep fest trilogy, first being New York and last My Name Is Khan ) Saif Ali Khan claims, “As a Muslim, of being proud of acting in the movie”. Now I am not familiar with him on personal basis, however I think it is safe to say that when one thinks of a devout Muslim, Mr. Saif Ali Khan is not first person to come to the mind. We know enough about him to assume he is the very example of moderate Muslim one hears about, and yet he is proud, “as a Muslim”, to work in this Jihadi apologia. This rather unfortunate situation should alert us to the irresistible pull that Islamic identity exerts on Muslims (moderate and devout likewise). However what riles me more is how our smart set has internalized the whole mythology of Jihadi as wronged anti hero and Jihad as revenge against white imperialists, and now reinforces this lie. Considering the most likely fate of the likes of Karan Johan in Caliphate, it is only with dismay one watches almost complete Dhimmification of Hindi film industry.