Letters: March 2009

A foreign defendant is not guilty until proven otherwise in a court of law and deserves all the rights given to defendants who are citizens of India. Perhaps Kasab might plea bargain under the advise of his attorney to tell the truth to save his life for a lighter punishment or imprisonment.

The public has a right to know under a fair trial, why Kasab joined the other terrorists in the carnage and whether he deserves imprisonment for life or death or a short jail term. That’s only possible under a fair trial.

Shantu Shah, Portland, Ore.

A typical masala movie packed with romance, violence and catchy music directed by Danny Boyle hits the charts all over the world, wins several golden globes and 8 Oscars, but is mired in protests and controversies in India (“Million Slumdogs Now,” February 2009).

A famed actor has commented, “If Slumdog Millionaire projects India as a third-world, dirty, underbelly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky underbelly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations.” There is no doubt that India thrives even in the most developed nations, and Indians are proud of that. However, what we are doing to help the “poverty porn”?

Are we upset about a Westerner portraying the real side of India? The talent exists in India for such movies, but Bollywood producers, fixated on making flimsy films about the lives of the middle class, never throw their weight behind such projects. Over 80% of Indians live on less than $2.50 a day, and 40% of all children are malnourished. In Mumbai alone, 2.6 million children live on the street or in slums, and 400,000 work in prostitution. These people are absent from mainstream Bollywood cinema. Instead, Bollywood produces movies like Rock On and Love Story 2050, full of affluent young Indians desperately trying to look cool and modern.

The truth is middle and affluent class Indians too often ignore the fact that countless people exist in conditions close to hell, yet maintain a breath-taking exuberance, dignity and decency. These people embody the tremendous spirit and strength of India and its civilization. They deserve the attention of Bollywood filmmakers. I have no doubt that Slumdog Millionaire will encourage many more honest films to be produced in India.

Vivek Dixit, Cypress, Texas

I recently watched Slumdog Millionaire. My heart sank as I left the theater. Rubbish! I yelled in my heart. This is the worst movie about India I have ever watched.

The problem with the movie is not its depictions of poverty, slums, child slavery, religious conflict, prostitution, killing, torture and other social ills. All societies have their dark sides and every nation has its own sets of problems. It is the prejudice, bias and the sick minded portrayals that I found revolting.

This movie is disgusting because we cannot find a single positive portrayal in the whole movie. Even the young brothers in the movie steal, deceive, kill and behave recklessly. The only good person in the movie is an American tourist who gives a $100 bill to the boy. There are several opportunities to present positive impressions of human nature, but the movie does not offer even one.

I feel it deplorable that this movie not only delivers a message that India is bad and all Indian people are bad, but also conveys the impression that there is no hope and no solution for the country. No inspiration either. At first I thought the movie was about someone in poverty who worked hard and overcame adversities to achieve success and become a role model for others. I was wrong. The only opportunities for Indians hinted at by the movie comes from generous western tourists willing to shell out $100 bills and winning TV contests.

I am sure the movie satisfies westerners who look down upon other people and want to preserve their arrogance and feeling of superiority. This movie reinforces the negative stereotypes of India and Indians that are deeply implanted in the Western mind

The real slumdogs are the ones who wrote and produced this movie.

Yi Cheng Chang, Willowbrook, Ill.

Ajay Vishwanathan’s article “Retirement: An Iconic Struggle” (February 2009) is very well articulated and some of his arguments are compelling. It is good to see Little India continue to publish articles that are not always politically correct and crowd-pleasing.

In my opinion, many of the people who are named in the article probably have not retired because they love the things they do and even though they may be past their prime they are still better than a load of people in their field.

If people love what they do and are still good (even if not great) at it why should they consider retiring?

For what do people retire? Glory? Money? Or for themselves?

Uday Hebbar, Via Email