India Currents - November 2015

Hello, 911? Someone’s Using 409!by Gayatri Subramaniam

India’s Sports Leaguesby Roshn Marwah

Levitating Yogini in Krakowby Nagaraja Rao

Celebrating 29 Years of Excellence

INDIA CURRENTS

by Ritu Marwah

november 2015 • vol. 29 , no .8 • www. indiacurrents.com

The turbulence of politics and romance

Celebrating 29 Years of Excellence

Jinnah’s Daughter

INDIA CURRENTS

Jinnah’s DaughterJinnah’s Daughter

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November 2015 | Northern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 3

like a mind-altering marketing exercise. For all of Mr. Modi’s volubility when it comes to his areas of strengths—technol-ogy, business, bureaucracy—there is not one ameliorating word spoken on those ar-eas of sensitivity: India’s cultural, religious and social diversity. And I wish he had the kind of bravery, that Abraham Lincoln-like bravery that would compel him to explain his failures as well as his successes, his wor-ries as well as his victories.

So it is no surprise that the imagina-tion cannot come to grips with these con-tradictions. And hence, it seems, there is a cautious calibration of Mr. Modi’s popu-larity on a guarded “wait and watch” cycle.

In spite of these contradictions though, maybe the lack of headlines is a testament to Mr. Modi’s successful Silicon Valley sojourn. In the media’s quest for titillat-ing titles, phrases like crisis in crimea, civil war, cyberwarfare sometimes take front page. And hence, as the saying goes, “no news is good news.”

Jaya Padmanabhan, Editor

Modi’s Invisible Suit

He came to Santa Clara like an In-dian messiah, rose up on stage, folded his hands in humble sup-

plication, then stood straight and tall as he let his voice ring out exhorting the jubi-lant, worshipful crowd to repeat phrases after him at the SAP center on a hot, packed September day. It was Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi at his persuasive best.

Yet the western media hardly paid Mr. Modi much mind. At the Facebook event, a conversation between Mr. Zuckerberg and Mr. Modi, the press section was woe-fully under-occupied. I was present at the event and I met a reporter from CNN’s online technology bureau, a tech reporter from Inc’s SF bureau, and a reporter from the Mercury News. There were a few I did not meet, including a reporter from the Financial Times who wrote a piece which seemed to miss the point that Mr. Modi was in the United States to drive up in-vestment in India and not to entice Indian Americans back to India.

Mr. Modi’s visit coincided with the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit. Both leaders met with the founders and titans of the technology industry. Both ostensi-bly for the same purpose: to recognize the buying power of the countries they rep-resented. Mr. Xi more than likely did not receive the kind of reception from Chinese immigrants in the United States that Mr. Modi received from Indian Americans. Yet there was much discussion before and after the Chinese leader’s visit across U.S. media platforms, and barely a stirring of subtitles about Narendra Modi.

Go ahead, do a quick search on “Xi Jinping’s US visit,” you’ll discover reports from The New York Times, Time, Financial Times, BBC, NBC, and if you do a search on “Narendra Modi’s US visit”: NDTV, the Indian Embassy and Mr. Modi’s own website narendramodi.in are the leading results.

So what does Narendra Modi’s lack of international media visibility signify?

It may have something to do with the contradictions that India and its leader both present.

When it comes to India, the contra-dictions are all too well known and well documented: spiritualism and materialism, the worship of goddesses and the lack of respect for women, abject poverty and obscene wealth, democratic elections and

autocratic power-mongering …And, too, with Narendra Modi, there

is much to applaud and caution. I admire Mr. Modi’s awe-inspiring work ethic; his ability to break down complex problems into smaller, more manageable subsets; his foresight and vision when it comes to India’s economic growth; his impatience with corruption and bureaucracy; his so-cial media savvy; and his ability to make quick decisions.

It is likely true that no one leader can undertake all the issues that India presents. It becomes a question of priority and com-promise. And with those two inadequate words, there ends up being much to dislike and disapprove.

On stage Mr. Modi is convincing. He tells you that he is an effective administra-tor, and a passionate nationalist. He is not ashamed of calling himself a Hindu and for bringing up (Hindu) heroes who have fought for India. He asks, no, demands validation, and the arena echoes with exu-berant support.

And yet Mr. Modi fills me with ap-prehension. While I marvel at his gran-diloquence on stage, it seems too much

4 | INDIA CURRENTS | Northern California November 2015

INDIA CURRENTSPERSPECTIVES Northern California Edition

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November 2015 • vol 29 • no 8

3 | EDITORIALModi’s Invisible SuitBy Jaya Padmanabhan

7 | WORDS AND THINGSThere Lived a Certain Man in Russia Long AgoBy Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan

8 | PERSPECTIVEHello, 911? Someone’s Using 409!By Gayatri Subramaniam

10 | DESI VOICESHouse #152By Usha Rao

44 | MEDIAWithout Subtitles: The Sholay TestBy Sandip Roy

59 | SCIENCEThe Toll of ScarcityBy P. Mahadevan

67 | COMMENTARYTulip ManiaBy Bharti Kirchner

68 | FICTIONCourageBy Vivek Santhosh

108 | ON INGLISHThe Sound of My NameBy Kalpana Mohan

110 | THE LAST WORDThe Mediocre World of Malcolm GladwellBy Sarita Sarvate

LIFESTYLE

74 | Cultural Calendar

86 | Spiritual Calendar

28 | RELATIONSHIP DIVA Overcoming Anxiety and Getting that First DateBy Jasbina Ahluwalia

30 | BOOKSReview of Discontent and its CivilizationsBy Rajesh C. Oza

36 | TAX TALKTax on Children’s InvestmentsBy Rita Bhayani

74 | MUSICMahadeva Gets the Nomination!By Priya Bhatt Das

92 | HEALTHY LIFEFrom Villain to VictorBy Ronesh Sinha

98 | DEAR DOCTOR Dealing with Reactions to My PregnancyBy Alzak Amlani

106 | RECIPESA Squashable FestivalBy Shanta Sacharoff

DEPARTMENTS6 | Letters to the Editor9 | Popular Articles

WHAT’S CURRENT

32 | Ask a Lawyer33 | Visa Dates

Exploring Jinnah’s relationship with his daughter

By Ritu Marwah

16 | Jinnah’s Daughter

Reviews of Talvar, Singh is Bliing, The Visit

By Aniruddh Chawda, Madhumita Gupta

60 | Travel

Levitating Yogini in Krakow

By Nagaraja Rao

40 | Films

26 | SportsIndia’s Sports Leagues

By Roshn Marwah

November 2015 | Northern California | www.indiacurrents.com | 5

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