Mono – culture ?
The concern for the loss of diversity in South Asia has led to a new initiative. One that gives a platform for stimulating and presenting photographic and video documentation of people marginalized in India. One point of view is that these people (more generally referred to as ‘tribes’ or ‘adivasis’) chose to live apart in…
False Flowers and Real Wasps
My headscarf by another name is called a ‘chunni’. And this broek I call a ‘gharaara’ with a lange aaaa. They are both made of the flimsiest of cotton and fall in folds. The gharaara, from my large hips amply spreading around the clogs my feet are in. Big flowers in blues, yellows and greens…
Here Comes the Rain
The little radio on top of my refrigerator announced this morning that what we are experiencing is ‘tropical heat’. There’s a storm brewing. An unruly, wanton wind threatens to lift up my short dress to dangerous levels. Bicycling as best as I can, I try to hold it down with one hand. There’s a man…
The ‘other’ Notes on Man Capture
The ‘other’ Notes on Man Capture Published in LOVA Journal (The Dutch Society for gender studies and feminist anthropology) Summer Edition – 2009 A meaningful observational film implies that the filmmaker has given shape to the story that others want to tell about themselves. It often leaves out the different negotiations that took place…
On the Gracht
On the gracht If February thinks its job is to test my relationship with my beloved city, summer confirms our courtship. Short, but sweet enough. The other day I was in a chat room with some people who I have never met. I typed, ‘its sunny and warm in Amsterdam’. Someone replied immediately, ‘ Oh…