Iqbal

Bollywood film Iqbal, written by Vipul K Rawal and directed by Ragesh Kukunoor, was showcased this month at the Indian Summer Festival in Vancouver. It was just one event of a 10-day program that offered plenty to please lovers of the arts and health/wellness.

Iqbal (debuting Shreyas Talpade) is a farmer’s son who lives with his parents and younger sister, and who is obsessed with becoming a cricketer. Gifted with the athletic talent and skill of a bowler, Iqbal demonstrates how passions must be pursued despite the odds; in Iqbal’s case, he is not only deaf and mute, his father is dead-set against anything relating to the sport. The theme of the film centred on the Universe’s role as enabler when one works hard at achieving their dreams.

Iqbal’s adorable and wise-beyond-her-years sister Khadija (Shweta Prasad) adds humour and warmth to the set as only a pig-tailed, spectacled girl can. Her relationship with her brother is sincere and her support of his dream is unquestionable. Award-wining Naseerudin Shah plays the unlikely coach, Mohit, whose character adds tremendous depth to the plot with a story of his own.

Iqbal defied every stereotype attached to the words “Bollywood film” beginning with the fact that there was not a single dance number! The theme song and its accompanying training scenes were incredibly powerful; despite the fact that I only understood a few words, its theme of hope and courage transcended this barrier. I do wish that the song had subtitles as I would have loved to understand its full meaning. Unlike other Bollywood films, there were no star-crossed lovers (unless you suggest that Iqbal’s forbidden love of cricket fits the bill) and no major fight scenes – just some rivalry that was bound to arise between a farm boy who trained his game in the fields and a rich student of the cricket academy. However, like the Hindi films I grew up on, my heartstrings were tugged a number of times! How could I forget to bring tissues?

My advice – see the movie with a friend and at least a couple of tissues; prepare to let Iqbal’s story move and inspire you!

Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda: A Review

Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda offers a fly-on-the-wall perspective of one girl's struggle to discover herself given the fragmented clues she possesses of her past. Adopted from a Mumbai orphanage by a biracial couple living in California, Asha returns to her birthplace to further her journalism career and acquaint herself with her extended adopted family. The conflict she endures throughout her upbringing in California follows her to Mumbai and leads her to the truths about her birth city, motherhood and herself. Those of us growing up in two cultures will find solace and comraderie in the familiar elements. This tapestry of stories is as rich and flavourful as a steaming cup of masala chai.

Man's Best Friend: Art Exhibit

CityScape Community Art Space is currently exhibiting Man's Best Friend, presented by The North Vancouver Community Arts Council, until May 28, 2011. I attended the opening reception on Thursday April 28 at the invitation of local artist Zahida Jaffer, one of the 11 artists showcased.

The name of the exhibit brings to mind images of our canine companions so walking into the space you may be caught off guard by the polar bear, orca, giraffes, cheetahs and sea turtle making their way along the walls. Artist interpretations of "the ideal of peaceful coexistence rather than the need to dominate and control, between humans and creatures that may otherwise be thought of as a threat, a product or insignificant" were depicted in oils, acrylics, ink and photography. These interpretations were as varied and unique as the media.

The focus of this exhibit is, of course, significant to our time. My favourite pieces were the ones that blatantly ridiculed human actions in the name of fashion and convenience. David Camisa, the local artist who initiated this particular exhibit, painted a trendy woman walking an alligator on a leash, almost flaunting it like an accessory. It made me smirk until I realized it's not so far from the truth. I commend Camisa for accomplishing what I believe he set out to do; I felt like a heel in my leather jacket.

Zahida Jaffer's spin on the call for Man's Best Friend evokes a different kind of awareness. Baula (top right) calls attention to the beautiful sea turtle who, though able to withstand its environment since the dinosaur ages, is likely to be extinct within the next few years. Her thoughtful creation of this image is described in her blog . It really made me think about this admirable creature that thrilled my daughter at the Vancouver Aquarium last month - will photos and paintings really be all we have left to pass on to the next generation?

That was a lovely trip to the North Shore; I will be on a look-out for more artist events happening in that area - watching the mountains get bigger and bigger as I drove closer put a smile on my face and I thought how lucky I am to be blessed with Nature's exhibit whenever I remember to open my eyes to it!

EHSAAS: SOUTH ASIAN READERS AND WRITERS FESTIVAL

On March 29, 2011 a typically dull auditorium at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) was transformed to a platform of amazing literary talent, transporting us from the blueberry farms of Abbotsford to the wheat fields of the Punjab.

In its 6th year, hosted and presented by The Centre for Indo Canadian Studies and the Department of English at UFV, Ehsaas South Asian Readers and Writers Festival highlighted three published authors and three emerging writers; all six writers have roots entrenched in Indian soil.

I took my seat halfway up the theatre style seating with a quick glance at the other attendees – a nice representation of local ethnic groups among the crowd of about 55 men and women.

Our literary journey began just outside Bombay. The first reader of the evening, Anosh Irani, read from his third and most recent novel, Dahanu Road, where we meet Zairos, a young landowner’s son who falls in love with Kusum, a former servant’s daughter. With a provocative writing style and a talent for exposing the taboos of such a relationship, Irani held the audience captive; we nodded, “mmmm”d and giggled in response. During the question and answer period of the event, Irani recounted an exchange he once had with a listener at one of his readings who told Irani he was not comfortable with what Irani wrote. Irani skilfully and truthfully replied that he did not write in order to make anyone feel comfortable. Kudos to him for speaking the unspeakable and daring his audience to come to grips with different realities! Readers around the world are all the better for it!

Irani turned the stage over to Tariq Malik whose recently released book, Chanting Denied Shores, pins down a shameful event in BC history – have you heard of the Komagata Maru? If not, sadly, you are not alone. As I remarked to Malik at the end of the evening, my grade 12 socials studies teacher spent about ten minutes on this tragedy. Malik’s emotional reading from this book prompted me to pick up a copy on the spot in the hopes that I can brush up on this piece of BC history that took Malik 4 years to have someone publish. After all, most small publishing houses in BC are funded by the provincial government. Thankfully someone was brave enough to publish it.

And finally, we reached our Canadian destination with Gurjinder Basran’s book, Everything Was Goodbye, set in her home town of North Delta, BC. Basran dives right in to the heart of the issues facing the Punjabi community, particularly its younger female population. From arranged marriages to abuse to societal pressures, no topic is left untouched. Basran read the first few pages of her poetically written narrative – and I was glad for it. Her first sentence had all of my senses engaged with each word – read it and you’ll see why! Basran advises other female South Asian writers to keep their work safe and precious while gaining the support of a larger literary community. When you are ready to “come out as a writer” you will already have the confidence in your gift and the support of enough people to see you through. Well said!

As Trevor Carolan, professor of English at UFV, remarked “Every literary community needs its well-known writers, newly published writers and emerging writers.” It was a real pleasure to hear the raw talent of 3 local emerging writers: Kusum Soni, Mandeep Wirk and Ramandeep Jenny Ahuja.

I don’t think anyone in the audience could hold in their laughter when a very humourous Soni admitted with a twinkle in her eye that writing is like an orgasm for her – when the time comes, it has to be done! I certainly cannot argue with that as I have been known to creep downstairs to my computer at 3 am or retreat to my closet for a pre-dawn writing session. Soni’s poetry bursts with the beauty of Nature and her obvious devotion to the Sacred. The first poem she read was in Punjabi and so I understood about 2 words, but I hung on to each utterance, enjoying the rhythm and Soni’s undeniable joy.

The stage turned over to Ahuja – an up and coming writer to watch for! A fourth year English student at UFV, you’ll know her one day as the Punjabi Girl Growing up in Abbotsford, the title of her recently completed manuscript. That night she read her review of Gurjinder Basran’s aforementioned book focusing on the topic of family honour. It was insightful, blatant and oh so close to my heart. With just the right combination of references to Basran’s work, and observations of the South Asian community, Ahuja demonstrated skill, courage and the promise of great work in the future.

And who knew I’d meet a well-traveled non-fiction writer of Punjabi origin born in the same city as me – Mombasa, Kenya? Mandeep Wirk, a freelance writer and journalist, was born in this port town on the East Coast of Africa, moved to England, then Canada and then worked in Japan for five years. She read an article she had written for an art magazine with the underlying theme of the East-West relationship. Wirk also reminded us that this year’s South Asian Readers and Writers Festival was in honour of the centenary of the National Historic Site Gur Sikh Temple in Abbotsford.

And what a celebration it was! When the readings concluded, we feasted on Indian treats, mingled with the authors and had our books signed. There was a buzz of excitement in the air that I don’t think was entirely attributable to the sugary barfi! I’m definitely looking forward to the 7th South Asian Readers and Writers Festival!

If you’d like more information about this annual festival, or the Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies at UFV, leave a comment here. Also, I’d love to know which arts festival you most recently attended!