A Diseased Society

This article was written last year on December 1 to commemorate World AIDS Day. It is in need of a lot of editing and is probably tedious and boring but I hope someone is able to actually read all of it and give me feedback as well...

It’s that time of the year again, a time when the issue of HIV- AIDS is brought into in order to debate the possible remedies that can be undertaken to curb this crisis. World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. Governments, International Organisations and charities all over the world work towards increasing AIDS awareness with renewed fervour on this day. They set goals in advance to reduce the incidence of infection as well as to increase awareness, and create themes for each year. From its inception in 2004, UNAIDS has spearheaded the World AIDS Day campaign choosing annual themes in consultation with other global health organisations. In 2005 this responsibility was turned over to World AIDS Campaign (WAC), who chose Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise as the main theme for World AIDS Day observances through 2010. The theme this year is ‘Stop AIDS. Keep the promise – Leadership’. Considering that 95% of people infected with HIV live in developing countries of which India has the second largest population living with the disease, we must be thankful that at least one day out of 365 has been dedicated towards spreading awareness about the disease. Woefully, the average Indian remains completely ignorant of the disease most of the time until it’s brought to his/her attention - for a brief period may I add- by a celebrity working for a global AIDS awareness organisation or when World AIDS Day is observed. In some cases people are made aware of the disease when someone they know contracts HIV. For the rest of the year people feel that AIDS is a disease that affects only those people who live on the fringes of society, those ‘other’ people who are condemned because they do things that haven’t received social sanction. Social responses to people with AIDS have been overwhelmingly negative in the few studies that have been conducted in India. For example, 36 per cent of respondents in one study felt it would be better if infected individuals killed themselves; the same percentage believed that infected people deserved their fate (Ambati, Ambati & Rao, 1997). Furthermore, in this same study, 34 percent of respondents said they would not associate with people with AIDS, while about one-fifth stated that AIDS was a punishment from God. A hostility index developed in this study revealed that almost 90 per cent of respondents harboured at least one hostile view, and more than half held three or more such views.

Such reactions make it impossible for a person with the disease to even attempt testing themselves for it, leave alone making their condition known to the people around them. This hostility limits the effectiveness of AIDS related awareness programs in India and can be attributed to the general levels of knowledge about HIV and AIDS and in particular to the causes of AIDS and the routes of HIV transmission. Most people are aware of how serious the illness is. They are also aware that as of now, there is no cure. What they do not know is that it isn’t easily transmitted, that with the right medication, people can live out their natural lifespan with HIV and die of natural causes. HIV isn’t the death sentence it was 10 to 15 years ago. The possibility of finding a cure is imminent. There is no need to fear it to the extent of neglecting, rejecting and denying the existence of people with HIV. Nevertheless, it is a disease to be extremely wary of, a disease that commands constant vigilance. It’s a single act of imprudence that alters your life forever.

Owing to the extra baggage that comes with being HIV positive- that of why, how and when-, coping with the disease is emotionally very difficult. People with HIV have to face discrimination from quarters they never expected to turn against them. Studies have documented HIV/AIDS- related Discrimination, Stigmatization and Denial in contexts such as the family, the community, the health care system, and the workplace. Discriminatory restrictions have also been reported in relation to travel, migration, insurance and health benefits. Family responses to infected relatives are heavily influenced by the community perception of the disease. The family may fear social isolation and hence may insist on concealing the diagnosis thus straining relationships within the family as well affecting the overall analysis of the extent of the epidemic. People with HIV are incorrectly perceived to be a source of infection to others by just being in their presence. Such myths are fuelled by misconceptions regarding the transmission of the virus. Many people believe that mosquito bites, sharing toilet seats and swimming pools with people with HIV would endanger them as well. These beliefs are completely misconstrued and should not be encouraged.

The internet is replete with websites offering every sort of information about HIV and AIDS, from the initial symptoms, to the means of contracting the illness to counselling for people infected with the virus as well as advice columns that answer every bizarre, outlandish and farfetched anxiety of people who are afraid that they have HIV. In India, government hospitals in every state provide free counselling and guidance for people who fear they have contracted the infection or people who are trying to cope with it, under the guidance of the National AIDS Control Organisation.

And yet HIV/AIDS remains a very real threat to the survival of the human species, if global warming, nuclear warfare and terrorism don’t kill us first. The speed with which it is spreading is of growing concern to governments all around the World. In India alone, the incidence of HIV infections is projected to be around 20- 25 million by 2010 (UNAIDS, 2002). India has the second largest population of individuals with HIV/AIDS although it lags behind Sub-Saharan countries quite substantially in this regard. What could possibly be the reason behind such an epidemic? In my opinion, this epidemic has been primarily caused by the inability of the average Indian to talk about taboo topics such as sex, infidelity and drug abuse. Even sex workers find it difficult to talk to each other about sex and HIV. They find it easier to talk to an outsider as they feel that foreigners aren’t restricted by the same social mores and rules (Interview with Raney Aronson, Frontline, June 2004). Such denial discourages people from getting tested thus endangering all the people they get involved with at later dates, from talking about their infection and from leading normal lives if they are indeed infected.
It appears that HIV is an infection that exposes the hypocrisy of society. The HIV epidemic in India has brought out several issues in Indian society that have always been known to have existed but have never been acknowledged. One such issue is that of the sale of young girls into prostitution. What sort of desperation and poverty would force a father to sell his daughter into prostitution? If we are to combat this epidemic we have to acknowledge several negative aspects of our society that though unpleasant, exist nonetheless. Once we overcome this barrier we may be able to contain the spread of this deadly disease that robs a person of their dignity and peace of mind while forcing them to face the reality of their existence, that they have lived in ignorance of, for all their ‘healthy’ life, – that of their inevitable death, from AIDS or otherwise. In actuality, HIV isn't really a death sentence, it's just a way to make a shorter period of your life count for more.

by Shivani Bail

The Indian dream

It’s every teenager’s dream to board a gleaming plane to study in a land far away where students from all over the world come to study. The United Kingdom, The United States of America or Australia are the study destinations most students prefer. Developed countries hold a lot of allure for students from the third world. They represent a standard of living and an obscene level of affluence that the youth of all third world countries aspire for and hope to bring to their own homeland. Despite this prevailing trend, we find that a large population of students choose to come to India for further studies. You heard me right! India, with its corrupt officials, spit streaked streets and steady supply of impoverished villagers crowding city streets, who resort to begging in their desperation to survive, is the desired destination for students from Mauritius, Srilanka, Iran, Iraq, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Afghanistan and several African nations apart from others. But why India? “We have heard that it’s a good country to study Law, Medicine and Business Studies in, besides, I have two elder sisters and both of them have studied in India. They are doing very well back home,” says Stephen Kimundi of Kenya who has spent several years in Pune and has enjoyed his stay here considerably. Wahid Hamidy of Afghanistan came to India on an ICCR scholarship and plans on finishing his MBA and returning to his country to help rebuild it. Says Kazi Asaduzzaman of Bangladesh, “I came to India because there is a lot of student politics in my country. Here there’s a lot more freedom.”

As I discovered on the unique occasion of International Student’s Day celebrated by Symbiosis University on July 31, Pune city plays host to a multitude of cultures of people from all over the world. Dr S B Majumdar, the president of the University, decided to put aside one day of the year to celebrate this diversity and to give students, far away from their home, a chance to feel welcomed and taken care of. Says Hamidy, “Dr Majumdar sees everyone as equal irrespective of race, class or caste. In fact the name of his institution itself signifies this mindset of his. In a society we have to respect each other since we are a part of each other.” Mr Hamidy, has resided in Pune for several years now and was awarded the Most Outstanding International Student award for this year. Apart from Symbiosis, several colleges in the city attract international students. It isn’t for nothing that Pune is called the Oxford of the east.

However, does Pune live up to its reputation? Is it hospitable to students? Says Kimundi “I love Pune. I have visited Mumbai too but I didn’t like it as its pollution, crowds and traffic were too much for me to handle.” Although Pune may be marginally better than Mumbai when it comes to traffic or pollution, do the citizens of Pune treat foreign students like outsiders or do they exhibit an attitude of atithi devo bhava to their foreign friends?

Carrying the hopes and dreams of their countries, most of the time these bright students tackle more than just their studies when they land in India. It’s a struggle to get the smallest of things done. Getting themselves registered at the police station, finding a decent place to stay or even catching an auto becomes an ordeal since they look different and talk differently. People try to cheat them at every step. Unfortunately racism isn’t just a phenomenon in the west. Our obsession with fair skin (as made evident with just a perfunctory glance at the matrimonial column in our local paper) has made us adopt a superior attitude, (akin to that of the British towards us) towards people from African nations who as a race are darker than us. “We do find that Indians favour fair skinned people. Sometimes people stare at us but we have learnt to ignore people who taunt us and talk negatively. Every society has its pros and cons. The positive aspect of India is that we also have many friends from all over the city, who are willing to help us out,” says Kimundi. While students from Africa face a problem of looking different, students from Bangladesh and the Middle East are discriminated against because they talk differently. “Language is a problem for us in the beginning. Even our pronunciations mark us out as foreigners. The more time we spend here however, the less trouble we get into,” says Asaduzzaman. Hamidy has given some thought to this issue. He says, “Most often, people who are ignorant about who we are and where we have come from, treat us differently. Rickshaw drivers, policemen and landlords try to cheat us but our classmates and professors treat us very well.” These seem to be problems every student faces when they go to a new place. In fact, Pune seems to be quite in tune with the culture and needs of an international student community. Is the rest of India the same way?

Pune is a city that accepts the cultural differences of an international student community, hence it can be said that it consists of a tolerant society. However, our tolerance is always under threat. If a person finds a headscarf offensive today, they might find jeans offensive tomorrow. The narrow line between discipline and dictatorship is often trespassed in the name of morality. As global citizens we mustn’t try to enforce our views on people. We must understand, empathise and refrain from making a judgment for as along as possible.

We live in a globalised world. Boundaries are becoming meaningless. Warfare can take any form and often economic sanctions prove to be more fatal than a war with tanks and missiles. In such a situation it is important for us to be sensitive to and aware of the differences we share with people all over the world. Although racism in our country stems more from ignorance than from malice or hatred towards a particular race, as a society, ignorance can’t be our excuse anymore.

by Shivani Bail

My Bro

When I was just three years old, God saddled me with a burden so heavy, that at twenty-two, I’m still trying to cope with it. ‘It’ refers to my younger brother who has challenged me ever since he learnt how to say ‘no’. When he was little, he was an angel. He used to get me glasses of water from the kitchen, eat the smaller piece of chocolate that I gave him and listen to all my advice. He was so gullible that I used to make up stories about the trials and tribulations of the renegade, Robit Hul and his accomplice, Draculan and he used to get very impressed since, in all the six years of his existence he had not come across stories about Robin Hood and Dracula. He was an extremely adorable looking kid with long lashed eyes and a heart shaped face. A heartbreaker at the age of three, he drove young girls and aunties crazy with his baby talk. And how the baby could talk! He knew how to draw attention. Once some friends of my parents came over and they were talking about going out for the evening. One of them politely asked me what I was going to wear and before I could reply my brother said ‘barbie’s clothes’. Considering that I have always been diminutive and underweight, everyone found his joke unbelievably cute, much to my annoyance.

My brother first learnt how to say no to me when he was around eight and I was eleven. If you ask me, it was too early. I can just imagine how his tiny monkey brain must have evolved into a human one and realised that I was probably violating his right to equal pepsi, equal cake, equal TV watching time and equal space on the bike ride with my mom back from school. By the time I had realised this change it was too late to go back. I was stuck with a monster who constantly fought with me for space and for attention from my parents. Being the elder child I would always try to protect my parents and I always felt that he was too selfish to understand them and that he had too many demands. How I used to lecture him and try to make him ‘good’.

Before I realised it, time went by and both of us grew up. Our troubles stopped revolving around each other. We started understanding and facing adult problems of crumbling relationships, mortality and money. Although we found different ways to cope with our struggles they only seemed to bring us closer. Now that I live far away from him, I still feel like calling him whenever I feel low and with the same wit that he had when he was three, he makes me laugh and forget my sadness. It is as though we finally figured out that after our parents, we had only each other, to relive our memories of the glorious years we spent as carefree children in the Garden of Eden that was our home.

by Shivani Bail

Remebering Ingmar Bergman - An Interview with Gunnar Bergdahl

Palador Pictures and The Embassy of Sweden are paying a tribute to one of the greatest stalwarts of world cinema, Ingmar Bergman on the occasion of his first death anniversary through a film festival titled ‘Remembering Bergman – A Retrospective’. The festival, which is to be screened in Pune from September 5 to 11, will feature some of Bergman’s most iconic and poignant work such as Through a Glass Darkly, Wild Strawberries, Music in Darkness, Summer Interlude and Devil’s Eye amongst others.
An artist of cinema, Bergman is often considered to have pioneered the recognition of film as a medium that exposed the complexities of the human condition as eloquently and sensitively as perhaps literature and theatre succeeded in doing. In an attempt to understand more about Bergman’s creative genius, we interviewed his close friend and colleague Gunnar Bergdahl who was invited by Palador to conduct a workshop for film students and filmmakers in Mumbai this week.

“We had a nice friendship based on our common interests in film. We first conversed over the phone around fifteen years ago. When I was at a crossroad in my career I asked him for advice. He told me to become a director but I became a magazine editor instead. Maybe I should have become a director,” laughs Bergdahl, adding, “He was always very generous with his time and advice. I do believe he liked me,” while reminiscing his time spent with the cinema great.

Bergman inspired countless directors from the likes of Krzysztof Kieślowski and Andrei Tarkovsky to even the more commercial Steven Spielberg and Wes Craven. Undoubtedly his complex screenplays, coupled with his intense frames laden with symbolism made him a favourite amongst serious filmmakers but what was that particular trait that made him the powerhouse of creativity he was? Bergdahl replied almost imediately, “His curiosity and his childlike innocence are what made him great. He looked at the world through the eyes of a younger, child Bergman. Once when I asked him why he was watching so many films and wasn’t he was getting tired, he told me, film is an expanding universe, the more you look the more you find. This is the kind of curiosity that set him apart. His genius is evident in his films. Although they are a bit old fashioned in their appearance, the themes they convey are universal like those of faith, death and human suffering.”

When asked what his favourite work of Bergman was, Bergdahl says “If I had to choose from all his films I would say that Persona was his best work. It was a personal story that was outspoken and memorable with a clear point.” Finally we asked Bergdahl what he thought of the Indian film industry. “I don’t think I am in the position to comment on this subject as I have seen only a few Indian films. I have watched the Apu Trilogy and films by Adur Gopalakrishnan amongst others. However I will say this, Sweden is a small country of nine million and India is a country of nine hundred million. If we produced one Ingmar Bergman, you should be able to produce a hundred,” was his surprising reply. A sentiment we undoubtedly share.
by Shivani Bail
Pic Courtesy Palador Pictures - A still from Through a Glass Darkly. The first movie of what is considered to be Bergman's 'faith' trilogy.

Soul Talk - Shreya Ghoshal

Eight years of growing popularity in the music industry of Bollywood have not changed this diva, who remains every bit as congenial and warm as her soulful voice leads us to believe she is. Shreya Ghoshal is a delight to talk to and her voice is as sweet in person, as it is when played in a cinema hall to thousands of her fans. With her singles from Singh Is King and Bachna Ae Haseeno topping charts and her upcoming releases from God Tussi Great Ho being eagerly anticipated, we caught up with the talented artiste to talk to her about her latest hit songs, about being stereotyped and about being compared to Sunidhi Chauhan.

“For the last few films I have worked on, I have been paired with artistes I haven’t worked with in the past. For Singh is King, I have sung a subtle, romantic song with a slight Punjabi folk flavour along with Rahat Fateh Ali khan and I have sung a song with Mohit Chauhan in Kismat Konnection,” says Shreya who enjoys the experience of trying out new avenues to reinvent herself. Her versatility reveals itself through her work. She has sung songs for two animated films (Ghatothkach and Dashavatar) and is as big a sensation in the Tamil film industry as she is in the Hindi industry. She renders songs in languages unknown to her with just as much soul and emotion as she does in her other songs. However, often audiences feel that her soothing and sweet voice would not suit a fast paced, racy song. Has she become stereotyped? Smiling to hear her voice be described in this way, Shreya says, “I like the fact that audiences find my voice soothing. Personally speaking, I love singing soulful songs so I don’t mind being stereotyped. However, I think people often get confused between the tempo and texture of a song. Yeh Ishq Hai from Jab We Met and the recently released Aahista Aahista from Bachna Ae haseeno are both fast paced songs that I have sung.” A valiant defence, undoubtedly, but it still does not answer the question why songs like Beedi Jalaile have greater mass appeal? Are raunchy and overtly sexual songs sung with a raw voice more popular? “I don’t think that songs that are harshly sung are necessarily sensual. They do have mass appeal. However, there is an audience for every kind of music. It’s a different rasa of sorts,” says the frank, mellifluous crooner who has quite a substantial fan following of her own.

Does Shreya feel that the evolving character of heroines who are increasingly being portrayed as sexually and physically confident women has led to an evolution in the kind of voices being chosen for songs in films? Are deeper contraltos being preferred to coy sopranos? “It’s true that the character of the heroine in Indian cinema is evolving. However, we don’t have character specific or actor specific voices anymore. Music is being used to create an ambience or convey the predominant emotion in the movie. As we saw in Tare Zameen Par, Shankar Mahadevan’s voice was used to convey the character’s emotion in the song Ma instead of a child’s voice,” is Shreya’s response.

Although its true that voices aren’t character specific anymore, does Sunidhi Chauhan have an upper hand over Shreya when it comes to the evolution of the role of heroines in movies? The two music stars reign supreme in Bollywood at the moment. Both command loyal fan bases that often compare the two and argue over the Internet over who is better. Shreya is very amused over the thought of her fans defending her on the Internet. She sportingly replies, “ I am very happy that I have such loyal fans. About being compared with Sunidhi, I love the challenge of trying to win over fans loyal to her. This is the sort of healthy competition that keeps me going.”

As a parting shot, we asked Shreya a question that amused her quite a bit. After Himesh Reshamiya’s transformation and debut in films would she consider taking up acting any time in the future? “I don’t think so. I have been asked a couple of times by some well known directors but I declined their offer. It’s difficult to take a decision about such a thing. I can’t set aside a whole month of my schedule like a composer might be able to,” says the star who sounded a bit unsure about her decision. With her elegant looks and sweet voice we are sure her fans can’t wait to see her in a movie soon.

by Shivani Bail

The rise of the Anti- Hero

I recently started interning at a newspaper. Just thought I would post select articles on my pathetically denuded blog. I am carefully choosing which articles I publish online since I want people to get the impression that I am suave and intellectual. Even if I fail in my endeavour, I hope I succeed in entertaining some of you at least.

Comic book geeks must certainly be delighted. Hollywood has taken to the genre with such enthusiasm that they even put Pritam’s untiring efforts to plagiarise music to shame. This year has already seen the release of Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and The Dark Knight with three other films slated for release in the months to come. It would be redundant to say that big studios have realised the veritable goldmine these movies are. However, we increasingly find superheroes becoming more human. Their characters go through moral dilemmas and have shades of grey. While some seem to be vigilantes with their own propaganda, others question their own right to uphold order in society. So why are superheroes in this new form, so phenomenally appealing to society?
When Superman first appeared on screen in the 1930s, he reflected the hopes and needs of society at that time. During the Second World War, people needed to feel that an invincible caped crusader, who was capable of stopping any enemy, was on their side. He was a symbol of patriotism and pure spirited heroism in a world betrayed by the vices of men.
Now however, we need our superheroes to have something more than just extraordinary abilities. “We find that characters are proving to be in close touch with the Zeitgeist, tapping into an overwhelming feeling of global self-doubt best exemplified by Tobey Maguire's take on Peter Parker,” says Finlo Rohrer of BBC News Magazine in his article titled, whatever happened to the superheroes of old. Even Batman, as interpreted by Christopher Nolan, is a superhero who doubts his role in society. In the dark night he constantly reiterates the need for Harvey Dent to become the real hero of the city, going as far as to sacrifice his reputation as Batman to save that of Dent’s.
The rise of this new hero is best illustrated by the popularity of Alan Moore’s dark graphic novel V for Vendetta that was released in 2005 and talks about a vigilante who fights against a totalitarian government in a post apocalyptic world in the future. Terrorism, homosexuality, religious freedom and the right to freedom of expression all find a mention in the movie and V, the protagonist of the film is a deconstructed form of the conventional superhero archetype. Watchmen, another book authored by Alan Moore, has been made into a movie and is slated for release this year. The protagonist of the novel is a character named Rorschach who is portrayed to be the pinnacle of moral absolutism. Says Wikipedia about him “He often treats radically different types of criminals in similar ways (for example, he executes both a serial rapist and a common mugger)”.
Apart from Moore’s comics, other comic book heroes are also revealing their human side. Termed as anti- heroes, they show human emotions of selfishness, anger and ignorance. We often find them bending or breaking the law, believing that the end will justify the means. They cuss and swear and sometimes reveal their helplessness in a world that is beyond their control. Wolverine of X-men, The Hulk and now even Batman from The Dark Knight are examples of this. Even super villains aren’t portrayed as being absolute evil anymore. They are often portrayed as being victims of circumstance who the audience can relate to. Magneto from X-men, Two face and Mr Freeze from Batman and The Green Goblin from Spiderman are all examples of anti- hero villains.
The face of danger has changed. The duality of human existence has come to the fore. On one hand we have the power to create and on the other, we can destroy everything. We have become our own greatest enemy. Thus, the movies we watch and the books we read all reflect this duality.

by Shivani Bail