Friday 31 August, 2007

Hello everybody-ji,
and thanks again for the warm welcome in Vienna. And I am also very pleased to get so nice email-feedback for this weblog. I decided to keep the blog running-
focusing on India and Bollywood - and various randomstuff, like for example crazy foto-serials. Here for example you finally see the viennese Bollywoodfanclub staging the Krrish-mask (I tagged them some ages ago to do it). Adorable, huh?



Uh, seeing Bollywoodsupercell Babasko (4th from the right) reminds me: Dearest Babasko, could you please finally write something about the Stuttgartfestival...tell us -at least- what was the coolest moment? *tagtagtag*

Well, I was really happy to see all of them again. And its soo funny that they seem to be rather overwhelmed of the many Bollywod-related events which have taken place the last 5 months in Vienna. Sometimes many Bollywoodmovies were running in cinemas the same time, awesome… And now we will, thanks to Nithin, have Bollywoodclubbings every two weeks. Some Bollywoodmovies are obviously played now regulary in Cinemas. And some movies, like for example “Aag” will be screened soon after the Indian release. And the "Ishq-Magazin" is now available here. Austria really is getting somewhere according to Indian Popculture. Arewah. Right now “Heyy Baby” is running well at Cineplexx Milleniumcity. In my book I wrote that Austria seems to be a developing Bollywood-country but now things are seemingly really starting...


At this point thanks to Mariakäfer for the write-up about my book. She pointed out that sadly “Faszination Bollywood” is loosing actuality very fast - and she is so right with that. As i found an indian publisher who may want to publish an englishversion I start now to think if it makes any sense to publish it like this. Reviews are very good so far, but still - time is running so fast and the book focus is only till the very beginnings of 2007. Things are developing according to Bollywood and I think I would have to rewrite the whole thing anway - or make a complete new book.

Sunday 26 August, 2007

Mumbai…curious?

Some things you may want to know about my days in Mumbai:

1) The meanwhile-legendary Coffe Can reached Mumbai safely. (Well, to be honest: Once she climbed a tree and had a small accident, that’s why she has a small cut, but nothing serious. Don’t worry.) Vatsala met me at Coffee Days in Mumbai and we had a very nice chat. She is working in Television.She and some of her collegues at work actually followed the journey of the can. I was very honored to hear that. It was somehow a very epic moment to pass it. Afterwards i felt that giving this questitem away released something profound. It was the only thing of my Mumbai-checklist, which i actually did and that felt very good. Thanks to Sophia, who inspired this dramatic journey. And Vatsala: I am still waiting to get a photo of the Can in her new home….


Mumbai: Vatsala with her Can



2) I tried to go to Filmcity. But the contact we had didn’t work out in time.

Mumbai: Filmcity


So, this is all I saw: The picture shows one of the guards, who examined his foot while we were making phonecalls to anyhow come in. Remember this: You’re chanceless to go to filmcity if you are not invited.


3) In Mumbai modernity is clashing together with middleage. When I arrived there my energyreserves were nearly done and I was overwhelmed by the Slumview-skyscrapers and the endless slums. The imagination of the number of lost souls in Mumbai totally overwhelmed me. (So i use the words "slum" and "overwhelming" quite a lot, huh? but i dont find other words right now, sorry.) I simply could not stand it. Its frustrating and depressing and nothing for sensitive people. There have been a millions of things which I wanted to do in Mumbai but my lack of energy and as well monsoon and traffic made it quite impossible to do anything. I keep my Mumbai-challenge -checklist for the next time. I am not sad about that.


Monsoon

Beast and Beauty of India (Part 1)

Being back feels very good, like waking up from a mindblowing dream. But where to start with writing? Pffff....

Sophia (who is the one who by the way invented the travelling coffecan) said in a chat recently (when i mentioned that I may have lost my sense for aesthetics in India): India is actually very aesthetic. In a sense of "baroque-esk, overwhelming lunacy". Well, i am sure she would come up with a better translation ("auf eine barocke Wahnsinnsart"). In german this sounds really fine. Here are some examples out of my humble camera (please click the pics to enlarge them).
There are more to come later.



Dharamsala: crazy rainbows at Triund





Oldmanali: Dylans Cafe





Arambol (Goa): Who is going to eat pork tonight?




Manali: sleeping drugdealer with dog
(working to much?)




Delhi: tripping white Sadhu





Varanasi: ghats





Manali: Snake shaker





Patnem: sunset






Delhi: Boy with kite, Metrostation Paharganj and Cows





Candolim: Shop with the true indian spirit





Rohtang: 1000s people coming to touch the (globalwarmed) snow





Margao (Goa): Blue Movie-Cinema





Hyderabad: Film-star-promotion





Hyderabad: capitalism




Auli: view from my hut




Candolim: best bookshop in Goa






Hyderabad: Family bike




Ramoji: filmicrap





Himachal Pradesh : cows, trucks,
“frist aid box” and “complant book”





Delhi: 20 seconds horrotrip in Appughar (funpark)





Vashisht- Hindu-Wedding: groom




Rohtang: Bollywood- ice figures named after a movie




Trivandrum: Book exhibition





Candolim: goanesque funart





Joshimat: typical indian shop with useless stuff




See? India is both crazy and beautyful. And as many others I still don’t understand why I actually want to go there again next year. India sometimes seemed to me rude and very tough and ugly and under-educated and mindwashed and basically un-official. And totally free… and everything is possible. Most of my friends started to ask me if I can recommend to travel India and I said no. Absolutely not. You must be crazy to go there. Tourists are basically treated like shit. And its not so cheap as you may think. You will pay also with your energy. And if you are unlucky you pay with your life. If you are extraordinary lucky you will have a nice bombblast in Banaras and go to heaven directly (but make sure you are dying on the good side of ganga. If you are dying on the wrong side you will be reincarnated as monkey!).

And the distances are so big. Roads are a mostly very bad (cause of the corruption-- as Manmohan Singh pointed out). Bus-company-employes will promise you everything just to ensure you are booking with them and (in most of the cases) nothing will come out to be true. And Busdrivers are sometimes not even able to fill fuel and you may be stucked in the middle of nowhere some hours. Crazy!


Delhi: Me, waiting for the bus 6 hours






In the middle of Nowhere: out of fuel



Why is capitalism not working in India? I don’t get it. Maybe one of you can explain it to me. Why is everything corrupt? And why are there thousand of laws and nobody who make sure that the laws are executed? And how comes that people still bribe each other when everybody knows that it nearly all the time will lead into a vicious circle? Why is there no revolution? Why is India staying in Pre-postmodern- times… And how do they manage to make everything that is new look very old?




Shiny new Metro-Logo in Delhi
(the metro, although, looks really shiny and
is one of the best places to be in Delhi)



It may feel strange to you reading questions like this in times where everybody speaks about the fast development of India. Well, this is, anyhow, my point of view.

Friday 17 August, 2007

The Can- experience

I just read the Introduction for the Mini-Khan experience and decided that it is very funny. I suggest to shoot a short movie (whenever Mini Khan reaches us) which shows all the wonderful sets in Vienna Bollywood has not targeted yet. And maybe Babsy want to have a little Song&Dance with him. I literally can see it. It will be fun.

By the way, this reminded me that Beth sent me some can-tastic, photoshopped Can-pictures some ages ago and till now i was unable to open them. Here they are:







viennese breakfast

yeah, i am back home.

It has been a wonderful 5 months trip and i decided its time for me to surrender to my homesickness. But still i dont feel like india has won. I count 3:0 points for me against india. My third trip has given me insights into some depths of the indian ant-heap-system which were astonishing and frustrating and dissapointing. But also i felt in love all over again and had wonderful experiences. I plan to write up the next days. Also many Can-pictures are lining up and waiting for your Dekhonaa. But my laptop is in service and we have to wait till i sort out my crore of photos.

Meanwhile you can enjoy the story of the traveling Shah Rukh puppet. Maybe he should meet Vatsalas Can sometimes... whenever he reaches Mumbai again...?