The Chinese Beauty!!

They say "beauty is only skin deep". Women in China have traditionally been associated with the pursuit of beauty. It is impossible to conceive of beauty in the absence of the body and its perception or sensation of the beautiful. Whether in Enlightenment definitions of beauty as mental harmony or in postmodernist repressions of the body in encountering the sublime, the body and beauty are inseparable. If beauty is concerned with transformations occurring within the body, it is also the body itself that is necessarily the closest site of the desire for beauty. Furthermore, the link between certain types of bodies and the feelings they arouse is central to the experience of beauty. The body is therefore at the core of human creativity and desire for its modification into an object of beauty is an essentially human creative practice.

However, standards of beauty have changed significantly throughout Chinese history. From slender to plump and frail to graceful, shifting ideals of feminine aestheticism in Imperial China can be traced through paintings, sculptures and contemporary accounts of women famous for their beauty. Although such women appeared as leading politicians and warriors, it was nevertheless from within a predominantly male-centred society that expectations of femininity were constructed. Conversely, the emancipation of women since the 1920s and increasing globalisation in the twenty-first century have effected further changes in ideals of beauty and fashion in modern China (www.beautymatters.blogspot.com).

The Skull Bike

I call it the "Skull Bike". It was on display at the National University of Singapore Museum. I went there for a training session on Photography and got it clicked. It looks like a bike and the lion is riding the bike. The Head of the bike is a skull. Thought it would be apt saying the "Skull Bike".

Bastard!!

Do you see any other guy in this picture except Shane Pereira? Gues what? We call him Bastard!!(See www.kahneenah.blogspot.com). He never goes anywhere where there is no girl. This is the picture taken during the open house. He loves teaching ....but only to girls. I kind of like the way he takes his classes. As usual Shane always competes with me... and complains that all the girls go to Sahoo's class and none turn up for his. This was the time when I was absent and Shane clicked.....Have Fun Shane!!!

The Symbol of Sovereignty

What is the meaning of symbols in the life of human beings or in the life of a nation? You may call it a piece of metal but it is that binds the unknown people of a land. It creates a sense of we-feeling and togetherness. It is that gives people an identity. It is that you carry with you. This is the symbol of Singapore that brought together the migrant communities of different countries to create a sovereign territory ruled by the rule of law and subjugated by none. This is the symbol that identifies Singapore as a sovereign Nation-State with its own distinct identity.

The Queen's Lake

The Chinese community presented the statue of Queen Victoria to the Governor, Sir Cecil Smith in the Jubilee Year (1889) of Her Majesty's rule as a memento of their loyal affections and gratitude for the benefit of her rule. The 6 foot high statue in Sicilian marble was the work of E. E. Geflowski and is one of the most lifelike statues of the Queen ever made. It used to be placed in the alcove of the State Room (then called Victoria Room) until the 1960s.


It was then moved to the Victoria Memorial Hall and subsequently to the National Museum store in the mid-1980's. When located in 1994, the statue was found to have sustained damages to several parts, including the nose. The damages probably occurred during the various shifts over the years. The statue was restored in 1995 by a specialist sculpture conservator from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London (http://www.istana.gov.sg/IstanaGrounds/QueenVictoriaStatue/).

The Place Where the First Citizens Lives........

It is the place where the first citizen of Singapore and his family live and the place is called ISTANA. Well, he does not live here but symbolically this is called the President's House which remains open for the visitors during some selected public holidays. This is the place where the visiting head of the states are invited for dinner and state meetings.

Canons on Display

It was May day when I visited the President's House in Singapore. This canon was the center of attraction which I kind of liked. Well, I did not include the picture when it was crowded. It may have lost its significance but the symbolism still stands prominent.

Wah Taj

As a Bachelor

Takdir hai, magar kismat nahi khulti
tajmahal banana chahata hoon
lekin mumtaz nahi milti!

As a Lover

Takdir hai, magar kismat nahi khulti
tajmahal banana chahata hoon,
mumtaz mil gayi hai magar
woh shaadi nahi karti

As a married one

Takdir hai, magar kismat nahi khulti
tajmahal banana chahata hoon
lekin mumtaz nahi marti

Sociology Open House

All the Departments at the National University of Singapore, once in year, compete with each other to tell the prospective students how useful their subject is in the present day society; so that they will enroll in their department. This is called the Open House, where the research, publications and everything related to the subject is displyed out in the public.

The speciality of this functions is Free Gifts, Free Food and the new comners freedom to shop around. It is the time when they have the sovereign power to decide their choice; and once they choose, they lose.......their freedom to shop around........The authority of positions suddenly gets reversed. The power shifts - from the students to the department........to the faculties......This is the day of marketization of education in the public; and at the end of the day you evaluate.....who had a good business????????????

I was asked to showcase my research on the Indigenous peoples of India, especially the notorious Bhils Tribes popularly know as the Bow Men of Rajasthan. I shared this poster with Alice - a Malaysian friend who is also working among the indegenous people. This Pictures below show some of the attractions of the day.

The traditional wedding costume of Indonesia was competing with the Indian Saree. Its really a beautiful day when you get to see students are dressed in their traditional indegenous outfits. It looks so colourful and amazing.......

I am sure someone must be liking the reddish colour of Indian Saree. It looks beautiful on....

Strange Foreign Beauty

Wish I Could See Life Ahead...."Next"!!

What would happen if we could see the future? No war, no conflict, no misunderstanding and no separation. Life would be as smooth as a bed of rose and as safe as a prison (deliberate use) – though with a predictable pattern. This is the story of movie “Next”.

Nocolas Cage – a Las Vegas magician with an uncanny ability to see the future happenings, has been forced to foil a terrorist bomb plot. The problem is that he can only see the happenings in the ‘next’ two minutes. Not beyond….. Cage falls in ‘love’ with Jessica Biel who eventually gets kidnapped. He tries to rescue his soul mate; and for some reasons, he can see farther than two minutes in regards to her. Can Cage save his beloved Biel and the world from the danger of death and destruction? Well, he could, as it is shown in the movie; but the story never happened, since he could see it before and stop its happening.

I wish, if I could see my life ahead and stop(ed) the happenings of what has happened or about to happen……...

Combating Contagious Corruption

N. Vittal, the former Vigilance Commissioner argues that there are five players on the corruption scene in Indian system that makes for a vicious circle. These are –

(1) the 'neta", the corrupt politician;
(2) the "babu,' the corrupt bureaucrat;
(3) the "lala" the corrupting businessman;
(4) the "jhola", the corrupt NGO; and
(5) the "dada" the criminal of the underworld.

Alternatively, Indian corruption system can be categorized into four 'Ps' in terms of quantum of money exchanged. These are –

(1)Political corruption (e.g. kickbacks, donations to political parties from individuals and industries, use of black money in elections etc).
(2)Programme corruption ( e.g., food for work, rural development, relief schemes, grants and subsidies to NGOs, etc);
(3)Project corruption (e.g., commission to be paid for approval of contract and grants).
(4)Petty corruption (e.g., chai paani (bribe/tips for prompt access and service) for obtaining an application form or submitting application form, making a FIR in police stations etc).

Source: Vittal, N "Combatting Corruption", SEMINAR, No. 485; http://www.india-seminar.com/2000/485/485%20vittal.htm

Dusting Off the Memory Lane!!!

Public memory is conserved and transmitted through history. It is significant for the psyche of the nation. How about the individual memory? I always think about it. It is subjective though. Human life constitutes a variety of experiences; and it is from those experiences we learn and live life. It does not always constitute rosy episodes; it is a collusion of colorful experiences and costly liabilities. We often do not like thinking about the bitter memories of the past – whether it is a traumatic childhood or a bad break off of relationship. The sensibility, however, lies turning these liabilities into invaluable assets. For me, cherishing the past memories have had two functions – recollecting the happy moments in life; and evaluating the past which sometimes give inspirations to move on. It also tells me about the stages of evolution in the structure of my relationship. Bedtime recollection abstains them holding dust; and if nothing, gives me some good sleep.

"Babadom"

I watched the "Holy Smoke". Its a movie which depicts the religious life in India (with familiar pictures from Delhi, Rajasthan and Dharmashala) and rise of cult culture. The Gurus are coming up and leading a varieties of people in their search for spirituality and happiness in life. This has acquired a comfortable space in the middle class social life. Some may call it worshipping false Gods, but others find meaning in it. Despite these contradictory perceptions and ideologies, a certain cultural consensus has emerged among the middle class and elite sections of Indians on the norms of religious practice in modern life. These norms made it possible for the leading groups in society to make distinctions between acceptable ritual behaviour or doctrinal belief and unaccetable superstition and irrationality. As a result these new groups have become more popular religious communities often by delegitimising their counterpart aborigins.

The movie does not make much sense though; the protagonist (Kate Winslet) has still not been able to find an answer. Her search for truth, her quest for happiness and meaning in life, and her journey to unravel the mystery behind the 'babadom' continues to go on......

The Turtle Island

A giant sea turtle saves two shipwrecked sailors – a Malay and a Chinese. As an act of thanks, the two men build a Chinese temple, a Malay shrine and a huge turtle sculpture.


So goes the legend behind this island. Today, Taoists still make annual pilgrimages to the Tua Pekong Temple during the ninth lunar month while Muslims visit Kramat Kusu, the Malay shrine.

A Lovely Twist

I am what I am
Not what you want to see
If I wansn't, as I am
Then, what would I be.

What twist and turn
Do you think I fit right
So, better get used to it
And, take like.

From the movie Nishabd

Nishabd - The Silence

What makes people silent? I remember a lunch time real life story – He was 27 and she was 20.The guy was in love which made others wonder – she is so young?????? And then silence – perhaps the guy felt embarrassed of falling in love with someone who is so young; and the friends felt unwise entering into someone’s private life.

Nishabd reflects such a story. He (big B) is 60 and she (Jiah Khan) is 18. She was a friend of her daughter who came to spend the holidays. They fell in love. Without saying much, they said so much. What struck him was, not the beauty and youthfulness of her body but the innocence of her heart, the childishness in her behaviour; the smile on her face, and the rebelliousness in her mind. Her bravery came not from having loved but from being intensely lonely. It was not one needing the other, but both needing each other. What dragged them together is their loneliness in the crowd – the loveless childhood on the one hand and the tied-up adulthood on the other where people forget the real reason of life. And, this loneliness is expressed through insecurity, stubbornness, lack of fear for death, and a search for love.

This is what the big B has to say – “Why an old man feels attracted towards a young girl? And the girl’s youthful body is not the only reason. The reason is that after a certain age every person fears his aging and death. And he wants to runaway from that fear towards youth. But this cannot happen. We all get so entangled and stuck in the worldly matters that we forget that the real reason of life is to be happy. And may be this is the reason why we feel a bit jealous of children and youngsters. Because, unlike them we lose the capability; spending time with Jia, I had become like a child. I thought I have gotten another chance to be young”.

She failed to have him because he was a “hypocrite” – As she says quoting the big B – “you must live your life with your own decisions. It’s not necessary the world accepts it. Was all that only talking? The truth is that you are a hypocrite”. This particular moment of being leveled as a hypocrite also brings tears to the eyes of her daughter. She cannot also stand by her father since his personality has now been compromised.

What made him a hypocrite? It was not that his love for her was fake, but he was shackled by the values of morality and structure of relationship which in our society defines our lives and restricts our autonomy. He may have been a deviant by falling in love, but he did not have the courage to break the second rule. However, neither it helped him saving the breaking of his family nor did it help him expressing his feeling for her. The result again is a suffocated loneliness which persuades him to end his life. As he says – “Jia’s thought are eating me up from within. To free myself from this pain, I regularly try to give up my life; but I can’t do it! Not because I am scared of death, I can’t do it because I want to live a little more with Jia’s memories. I want to some days more with Jia’s memories. That’s it”!