Life-en-treats

By: Sushumna Kannan Date: 2010-01-11 Place: Bangalore It's funny how The West looked at The East once upon a time, but things have changed, or have they? Sushumna Kannan questions the stereotypes of India in western media Star Movies, as part of what it called "Diwali Extravaganza" showed the four Indiana Jones movies this Diwali. To put it simply, I was taken aback. One of the four of the Indiana Jones movies Indians Jones and the Temple of Doom is set in India. The film was made in 1984 and effectively shaped much of Americans' beliefs about India throughout the 80s. Young Americans believed that India was indeed a place where monkey brains made dinner and eye-balls were to be found in soup. Tourists hesitated from visiting India. Diaspora Indians all over the world have been traumatized by the representations of India in this movie and are tired of answering anxious questions posed by their closest friends and colleagues. Yes, this is indeed the scene. And...

Moyers, Bill 1994  A World of Ideas: Conquering America . The Moyers Collection series. Princeton, New Jersey:  Films for the Humanities and Sciences . Notes: VHS color; 30 minutes Reviewed 12 Jun 2009 by: Sushumna Kannan sushumnaa@gmail.com > Centre for the Study of Culture and Society (CSCS), Bangalore, India Medium: Film/Video Subject:  Immigrants - United States Mukherjee, Bharati - Interviews Keywords:  Culture, Asia, America, Literature, Immigrant experience, Race, Multiculturalism.   ABSTRACT:    Bill Moyers interviews the Indian-born writer Bharati Mukherjee about the immigrant experience in America in the 1960s and '70s. Mukherjee relates she would rather "conquer" America by contributing to the shaping of its culture and correcting its problems, rather than "adjust" to it. We learn how the 'American dream' survives for Asian immigrants despite the country's failed economic promise.      Bharati Mukherjee was born into an upper middle cla...

Phillips, Jenny, Anne Marie Stein, & Andrew Kukura 2007  The Dhamma Brothers . Oley, Pennsylvania:  Bullfrog Films . Notes: VHS / DVD color 76 mins. Reviewed 02 Apr 2009 by: Sushumna Kannan < sushumnaa@gmail.com > Centre for the Study of Culture and Society (CSCS), Bangalore, India Medium: Film/Video Subject Keywords: Meditation - Buddhism Meditation - Therapeutic use Prisoners - Religious life - Alabama - Bessemer Criminals - Rehabilitation Vipasyana (Buddhism) Dharma (Buddhism) Prisoners - psychology - Alabama Buddhism - Alabama Meditation - methods - Alabama Prisons - Alabama Donaldson Correctional Facility (Bessemer, Ala.) Donaldson Correctional Facility Documentary films ABSTRACT:    This film documents the effects of Vipassana, an ancient Buddhist meditation technique, as it is introduced to a high-security prison in Alabama, following four prisoners in detail and the growing brotherly feeling among the community.     ...