Much ado about Jonathan Allen

CNN-IBN blogger Divisha Gupta is not too impressed by Reuters reporter Jonathan Allen's coverage of Liz Hurley's nuptials in Jodhpur.

On her blog, Divisha says parts of Allen's article are -

...appalling, mindless bracketing, myopic stereotyping, West-side perspective and the inability to look beyond and rise above the "elephant-sadhu-snake-charmer" state of being!

And here's the excerpt from Allen's story which triggered Divisha's outburst -

Indian women are commonly married off in their teens to a man of their parents' choosing, and are a cause of despair if they are still a spinster at 30... Even the humblest family will save up to make sure their children are paraded regally around the neighbourhood by lantern-bearers and a brass band

Well, I have a few problems with Divisha's rant. For one, she doesn't bother to link the original article so that readers could put the statement in context.

More importantly, isn't the statement true? Aren't most girls in rural India married off before they are 18. Even in cities, most women from low-income groups are mothers at 20. So who are we fooling here?

It's all very well to talk about shining India but does that mean we lose our cool each time someone makes a factually correct statement that may not be music to our ears. We must learn to take the bouquets with the brickbats.

Divisha's blog outburst got a number of reader comments (95 at last count) and as expected, the debate quickly turned into an India vs the United States debate (which is really funny considering Jonathan is British, not American)

On her blog, several "patriotic" Indians took Divisha's side and berated Jonathan Allen for his "biased" views. What do YOU think?

Blog Mela on March 16 - Nominate NOW

Some people may think Blog Melas are a waste of time but for me it's a great way of showcasing the best of what the Indian blogosphere has to offer.

If you come across a nice blog post published in the first 15 days of March 2007, you can nominate it for this month's Blog Mela being hosted here on March 16.

Points to Ponder
- Posts should have been written by Indians or must have an Indian angle
- Please nominate individual posts, not the whole blog
- Feel free to nominate something you have written. Immodesty appreciated.
- Only nominations received before midnight on March 15 will be considered for inclusion
- Meanwhile, I'll also be wading through the Indian blogosphere myself so a good post which fails to get nominated may also be featured in the Blog Mela.

How to Nominate
- Leave a comment on this post OR mail me at toeknee (at) gmail (dot) com

Measures to Net the Internet

So IIT Bombay has decided to curb internet access in its student hostels. What next? A military boot camp to cure Net addicts like the one in Beijing.

Happy Birthday Osama

Yes, al Qaeda supremo Osama bin Laden turns 50 today. Wonder if he's cutting a cake. Or is he too busy plotting his next strike against the US.

Is he alive at all? Well, I did eavesdrop on the following conversation so you can make up your mind.

(Inside a cave on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border)
Henchman: Happy birthday, boss
Laden: Thank you, my dear Ali
Henchman: We have placed an online order for a cake from Wenger's
Laden: Ooh! I love Wenger's chocolate cakes
Henchman: And we have also arranged a belly dance by Mallika Sherawat
Laden: (weeping) You guys are the best any dude could ask for
Henchman: We love you too, boss

Hasn't bin Laden done pretty well for himself. I guess he's the youngest ever to merit the 'Most Wanted Person in the World' title. That's the kind of publicity most Hollywood stars can only dream of. After all, there's no such thing as bad publicity. Right?

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An Ode to the Delhi Metro

There was a time when relatives from Kerala would troop in at the city railway station, all agog at their first glimpse of Delhi. And the Red Fort, Qutab Minar and Lotus Temple were the usual suspects on their must-see list.
Now, I simply take them for a ride on the Delhi Metro.

This world-class transit system has upped Delhi's prestige and in my opinion has helped it replace financial hub Mumbai as India's hippest city.



A friend tells me that commuters go crazy trying to get a mobile signal on the New York subway and the London Underground. But mobile conversations are loud-and-clear on the Delhi Metro no matter how many metres below the Earth's surface I descend. Amazing, huh?

True, there used to be chaos at busy stations like Rajiv Chowk (Connaught Place) with passengers finding it difficult to disembark due to the sheer numbers waiting outside. But last month, authorities started a queue system with guards to oversee the process. And it has worked really well. Now, it's a pleasure to watch people wait patiently for me to get off first.

All my pals know I dig the Metro experience and lose no opportunity to wax eloquent about it. So this blog post won't come as a surprise. I just hope more Delhiites and visitors from abroad try this world-class experience. And get hooked.

I won't say it's all hunky-dory though. Authorities should consider stepping up security. I entered the Pragati Maidan station early one morning last week and there was no security guard there.


Some baggage-laden men got in behind me and entered the train. The memories of the horrific Mumbai train blasts were still fresh in my mind. What if their suitcases contained explosives? Well, things now seem to be moving on the security front as this newspaper report says.

As for the photos, I clicked them with my mobile camera during my 7 am journeys to office. That's why the compartments look so empty. Don't try this yourself coz you need special permission to take photographs/videos inside the Metro stations and trains.

Wanna know more? Click here for their official site.

View my Delhi Metro montage

Afterwards...

It's hard to believe Afterwards has been written by a woman. Simply because it's written from the point of view of a man. And because Jaishree Misra has captured so well the nuances of what a man goes through during the loss of a loved one.

Misra's third novel is set in Delhi, Kerala and London and explores the many facets of love, tradition and sorrow.

In conversation with Jaishree Misra
Afterwards: The Hindu review
Buy the book