I just got back from India (well it has been almost 2 months but I need an excuse to post my first post of 2008) and while all the talk about burgeoning population, rising middle class and even bigger midriffs are certainly true, I was sadly reminded that India is going through an identity crisis. With every family’s dream to have their kids go to America and more Indians returning to India to live their king size, change is happening too fast. Emulating the west has become more important than finding what India can do best. Despite change some things are still the same. 2 weeks spent in my not-so “tiny” coastal hometown was enough time to immerse myself in the cog wheel of the Indian system and know that despite change, old habits die hard. Below is a peek into my version of the old India in 2008:

1. It still takes me a day to get home from a major city
2. Trains are never on time and air transportation is even better. They cancel without explanation
3. My mother still “saves” her money in a cash box at home
4. The cop outside my family’s business establishment continues to take bribes and let people park illegally
5. Movie theaters are still frequented by ruffians who guffaw at every love scene
6. Power cuts are unpredictable and part of everyday existence
7. Local courier service is still unreliable and you’ll be surprised if your package reaches a destination intact in 4 days
8. The cobbler who sewed my high school shoes continues to own his little shack
9. My nephew enjoys reading the same adventure books that I grew up on
10. Arranged marriages are still a common tradition

So while my India decides to have a makeover every year, with each year bringing new globalized chains springing all around my small coastal city and more English speaking youth with strange American accents frequenting these areas, the facade is just a lure. India is still young and will need another century to oust the first world and create it’s own identity. Eradicating red tapism and poverty needs to be more important than getting Walmart and Dolce & Gabbana to open up stores. I am hopeful that with this identity crisis will come a new approach and new way of looking at revitalizing India within it’s traditional boundaries and rich cultural heritage as opposed to changing it to be something that it’s not.

Growing up, I sometimes would read Indian comic books that covered stories of epic heroes. The visual depiction was traditional and often lacked the sophistication in story-telling that you are accustomed to in the Western world. Story-telling and character development is in our history, as is evident in the numerous Hindu gods and goddesses that we worship. And comic books would have been the ideal medium to instill the sense of pride and awareness that as a child, I completely lacked. Sadly, epic stories were not as popular as Archie comics. I often knew more about Veronica than about Tansen.

So imagine my surprise when I found out about Virgin Comics and their efforts to revive Indian history through comic books. What was even more surprising was to know that filmmaker Shekhar Kapoor is behind this effort. I have friends in the animation world that have done mini-projects backed by his vision and I have understood that his passion to put Indian history on the world map has been relentless.

So to see what these comics were doing different, I played hookie from my weekend errands and spent a few hours checking out the illustrated Ramayana. I admire the work and the the artists behind the illustrations. While the visual design surpassed my expectations, I was disappointed in the character visualization and story-telling style. Rama looks like a cross between a western superhero and the Indian god Shiva while Ravan had the flavor of an evil Manga character. The language had a yuppie spunk to it that is not typical of Indian story-telling. Call me old skool but I am still not sure if I really like this compared to what I have been used to growing up. I realize that to cater to a western world the characters were modified. This is heartening and despite my initial impressions of the visual impact, Virgin comics will be on my “interesting things to track” list.

My Sindhi (hindu) community celebrates their new year today. Unlike the solar calendar where January 1 is officially the New Year, the Hindus (Hindu Sindhis included) follow the lunisolar calendar that is based on the new moon cycles. (more…)

Holi, also known as the Festival of Colours, is my favorite Indian festival for two reasons one, since it officially marks the end of winter and second, for the range of colours that the festival centers upon.

The significance of these colours is related to change in weather that is prone to cause certain ailments. Hence it is assumed that the playful throwing of the coloured powders has a medicinal significance as the coloured powders are made of medicinal herbs well-known to Ayurvedic medicine.

It’s also the time when I am scrounging my trusted resources to see if someone in some part of the DC metro is celebrating Holi with the grandeur that is associated with this festival back home. Sadly, it is the price you pay for moving away from home. Today is like any other day.