Tourism- ho!

I would like to convey my heart felt thanks to Indian I.T. professionals, grass root innovators and new age yogis(who have made a banal function like breathing a selfchange tool). I thank them because they have restored world's faith in India and more importantly our faith in ourselves. This manifests into various forms: increase in FDI, GDP, etc. But one area or sector that ought to have grown exponentially is Tourism. But it has not and this is the reason to worry. I would like to reiterate the cliche, India is a diverse country offering a host of experiences from spiritual and royal to inspirational. Then why there was tourist inflow of only 3.9 million in 2005.

We need to package and market India as a country rather than a bunch of states warring for everything from water to central funds. We need to change our attitudes and ourselves and become a nation of avid travellers.In my opinion a tour across India is enough to satisfy a wanderer's soul. Because then we would know what it takes to make tourism a success. Real India cannot be experienced by reading about it in secondary level history and geography textbooks. To experience the grandeur of the Taj Mahal or the stature of Mahatma Gandhi one has to visit the Taj Mahal or the Gandhi Ashram respectively. But can an average Indian afford such visits or does he have time, mired as he is in the drudgery of earning a living. In boosting tourism abroad we have forgotten the tourist that lies in every indian's heart. Let us address his concerns first and then the concerns of his global counterpart. Because both are sequentially related. What are the concerns of an Indian tourist : budget hotels, cheap transport, credible guide, etc. Probably all of them are absent or present at certain centers of tourist attraction.

The main hindrance to tourism development, as usual, is the bureaucracy. At one point of time 5-6 ministries are some or other way related to tourism. Given such a condition how do we expedite development. Why cant we learn from I.T. companies who have achieved their success through relentless pursuit of innovation. My suggestion to our finance minister. Sir, why cant you incentivise leisure travel in our taxation system. Provide tax benefits to companies that offer 2-3 weeks off to their employees for leisure travel. This is one suggestion from a layman. But I know you wont do it busy as you are in taxing fringe benefits.

In final reckoning, lets make it our duty to promote tourism in our personal capacity. Let us travel first, as often as possible, and make it a virtue worth internalising.

The Sachar Committee report: an eye opener?

The Indian express by revealing piecemeally the findings of the Sachar committee on the status of muslims in India did raise alarm in the society. Discounting the statistics the basic conclusion of the committee is that the muslim population is faring badly in almost all areas of education and employment and in certain areas worst than OBC's. The moot point is why are we shocked by the findings of the report? Lets accept that we know the status of an average muslim and any layman can say that by simply travelling across any city or town. One need not go to any obscure village to verify it. At best what Sachar committe has done is quantify the status of muslims on various parameters. We need to factor in that muslims are covered under Scheduled tribes and OBC. 70% muslims come under the 0BC. Despite reservations the status of muslims has not improved satisfactorily.

The problem, as Arif khan wrote in the toi, goes back to colonial times. Even then muslims were to be found in negligible percentage in colleges and institutes of higher learning. Extreme religiosity and authority of maulvis has played an important role in the abysmal performance of muslims across the spectrum. The muslims have not been able to adapt with times and make religion a very public affair rather than keeping it a personal choice. The muslims are economically backward because they didnt and are not making education a priority. I believe an average muslim considers education and religion mutually exclusive or antithetical to each other. They are not open to views from different cultures and always look up to the holy koran to seek legitimacy of their deeds. Compare with this the how the hindus have performed economically. Being a hindu i can testity that hindus put a lot of premium on education and this doesnot mean we are less religious. Most importantly hindus have been open to different cultures.

Whatever be the problem its our collective responsibility to improve the status of muslims. There is no panacea that would solve all the problems. A multi pronged attack is the need of the hour. We should begin by encouraging cultural interaction between the muslims and other communites this would give the muslims, especially the youth, an idea where the world is moving, what are the latest developments in technology because its the biggest driver of change these days, etc.

The sachar committee report is not an eye opener because are eyes have been open on the status of muslims since a long time its only we have turned a blind eye to it.

This Bond is real

After watching the latest Bond flick, Casino Royale, i am compelled to write something about it. But I must confess that as I came out of the movie hall I felt a flush of adrenaline in my body and rode off on my bike to my place at a terrific speed. Such was the effect of the swashbuckling british secret agent. I have seen many Bond films and this is the only one close to reality. The starting action sequence was a harbinger of what was to come : a bond not detached from reality(earlier bonds seemed to have been imported from utopia, nevertheless, it was fun watching the utopian bond), a story reflective of the current global problem( i.e. terrorism) and ofcourse the usual Bond accompaniments like the aston martin, wonderful scenery and literary rich language sans expletives. From Daniel craig's physique to not so suave demeanour is a welcome surprise and has also earned him the tag of best bond after sean connery. But i think it would be unfair to both the bonds to compare them because they were products of their era. Comparison betweeen Pierce Bronsnan and Craig may be legitimate. Whatever may be the debate, its a superb movie and I am already awaiting the next flick.

Learn from the masters

Shooting at foreign locales and equipping technicians with sophisticated technology doesnot a good film make. These are peripherals. I have always felt that in India the main issues are relegated to the realms of non-issues and the peripheral issues become the kernel of discussion or for that matter a project. Recently, i read an article in the ahmedabad times the author which claimed that film audiences prefer fast, sleazy action movies than the ones with emotions and drama. I beg to differ. What about the movies of karan johar and sanjay bhansali? Their movies have raked in lucre and often critical acclaim. The success of a film comes down to basics like story in which the director has faith and not the producer or the marketing firm roped in for promotion, hiring actors who can potray the characters well and finally marketing the film to the target audience. What is happening is the reverse: story in which the producer has faith, actors in whom the marketing firm has faith and targeting the wrong audience. Of course this is not the case with every film. Success of movies like Black, Rang de Basanti, etc.. have proved that the right mix can not only fill up the coffers of producer but also the shelf of director with awards (i am not referring to filmfare awards which is more of a marketing gimmick than awarding the deserving talent).

The country still has not been able to make films that could match international standards. After watching hollywood films like Gandhi, A beautiful mind, Schindler's list and Basic Instinct i felt that movie making more to do with breathing life into characters and less with marketing. It was simply a memorable and inspiring occasion to watch Ben Kingsley play Gandhi ( its a shame on us that a foreigner made such a brilliant movie on Gandhi while we were busy shooting songs on swiss alps) , Russel crowe brilliantly potray the character of schizophrenic mathematician John Nash ( it compelled me to read Nash's biography), Liam nesson play Oscar Schindler and the superb erotic scenes sharon stone and michael douglas in Basic instinct. These films were not made on outlandish budgets or nor did they resort to heavy publicity but on the strength of characters, story and direction. Compare this with total mismatch characters in upcoming film Dhoom-2. One can easily make out the character of ash as Hrithik's accomplice in crime. But can ash potray a role of a seductress and conwoman. In the promos ash looks like a malnourished anorexic bimbo. She is simply thin and doesnt have a curvaceous body,to say the least. She suits perfectly in roles like that in Hum dil de..., Umrao Jaan but please not a role of seductress and conwoman. The role should have gone to lisa ray or for that matter any sexy model because dhoom2 is not about acting.

Shahrukh fitted so well in 'Swades' because the film demanded an'actor with ordinary boy door looks. Full marks to God, because Ashutosh Gowariker first approached Aamir for the role of mohan bhargav.
Bollywood needs to learn from its master hollywood in the art of film-making and not financing or technique because we are already good at it.