All posts by Sunalini Kumar

Debates, Government, Politics

Teacher-Veacher, Union-Shunion…Kya Bakwaas Hai Yaar?

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(To translate for non-Hindi speakers, “teachers…unions…what nonsense is this, my friend?)

Terrible translation, but you get the gist. Those who have spent any time in Delhi University will immediately recognise the picture I paint now…imagine a long-haired, loose-jeaned youth of about twenty, casually lounging against a wall, sipping a banta (lemon soda) and occasionally scanning the horizon for that pretty girl from his business studies class…his friends will agree, “teacher-veacher union-shunion, kya bakwas hai yaar?” These are serious students lets assume, with dreams of MBAs post-graduation and eight-figure salaries. One of them might then say, “Mittal sir, he is the best, yaar; he never goes on strike, and his notes got us first divisions.”

I mean lets face it; as stereotypes of the teaching profession immortalised on screen we have the hot teacher (Main Hoon Na, and millions of others – usually involves a seemingly prim woman suddenly taking her glasses off, and shaking her bun open in slow motion), the radical teacher who inspires his students to question the system (Dead Poet’s Society), the truly inspiring teacher who turns students’ lives around (To Sir With Love) and the cool teacher, who is the students’ best friend (too many to recount). But the teacher who is an employee, joins a union and goes on strike?? Continue reading Teacher-Veacher, Union-Shunion…Kya Bakwaas Hai Yaar? →

Bad ideas, Capitalism

This Whole Business of Childhood

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“To all who come to this happy place – welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America … with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world. Thank you.”

Walt Disney’s father helped build the grounds of the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago. In the 1950s as the population of America for the first time shifted West into desert climes on a mass scale, Walt Disney started receiving letters from people about visiting the Disney Studio, located in Los Angeles. Walt realized that a functional movie studio had little to offer to visiting fans. He began to dream about a site near the studios for tourists to visit; ideas that evolved into the first Disneyland Park located in Anaheim, California. The first Disneyland opened to the public on Monday, July 18, 1955 and crowds started to gather in line to enter as early as 2 a.m. Walt’s brother Roy O’Disney had arranged to pre-purchase ticket number 1, so an adult named David MacPherson became the first official visitor to Disneyland, with ticket number 2. For a park that had to become iconic with children all over the world, MacPherson’s historic ticket was potentially disastrous from a marketing point of view, and recognised as such by the ever-alert Mr. Disney. In a masterstroke of foresight and damage control, he had an official photo taken with two children instead, Christine Vess Watkins (age 5 in 1955) and Michael Schwartner (age 7 in 1955). The photo was captioned, “Walt Disney with the first two guests of Disneyland.” Continue reading This Whole Business of Childhood →

Bad ideas

Eclipsed by Western News Orientalism

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In the apparently historic ongoing battle of the Asian Tigers that generates so much interest and anxiety amongst corporate types and policymakers all over the world, the recent solar eclipse may have ruined the chances of the Indians. Here’s a video on the eclipse that leaves no doubt as to who’s leading the race for the twentieth century. Please note the difference in reactions within India and China to the eclipse. If msn news is to be believed, when the sun turned black, an all-Hindu India erupted in a frenzy of religious and superstitious activity, while the Chinese and Japanese calmly took their children out to parks to see the celestial event through those cute eclipse goggles – a kind of pleasantly scientific national pastime. Enjoy this little snippet of orientalist reporting… Or is it the truth about ‘us’?

Bad ideas, Government

Accidental Labour

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In my second year of college we had a paper called Comparative Government and Politics. The syllabus of this paper was faithful to the Cold War – two massive units were dedicated to the United States and the former USSR respectively. The information imbalance between these two heavyweights was such however that ‘good’ books on the Soviet Union were very few in number – they were carefully prescribed in class, jealously guarded in the reference section of the college library, and issued only to the quick and the deserving. When we reached the U.S unit however, the teacher gave up and we were left like a pack of wild dogs to run through the entire general section, and issue what caught our fancy. Continue reading Accidental Labour →

Capitalism, Debates, Everyday Life, Media politics, Politics

The Happy Consciousness

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Watching the world tumble down around us, the holy markets especially, what has amused and angered is the way in which the media refuses to let go of its Sunny Disposition on Life, the Universe and Everything. This would be pathetic if it wasn’t so rampant. The Times of India has plumped up its Delhi Times this weekend to ten pages filled with exhortations to shop and full-page ads on shiny commodities. Its spectacularly vacuous Sunday Times is bursting with stories about celebrities valiantly keeping up the Diwali spirit, and thumbing their noses at the looming depression by buying more Louis Vuitton bags.

Continue reading The Happy Consciousness →

Government, Media politics, Violence/Conflict

Atta Boys, Delhi Police, Again

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As the comments on the Jamia encounter pieces have flooded in, what has been amazing of course is how the defence of the police establishment comes often from the very same discourse which can’t stop crying itself hoarse about the corruption of the government. I am pretty sure many of those who have jumped to make us doubters and naysayers feel guilty about failing to support our boys in khaki would be wringing their hands at India’s sliding down the scale on Transparency International’s rating. What is required? What are we doing wrong? Does everybody in this country who can read and write need a Poli.Sci 101 course on what the Indian State is, and how it includes the elected and the non-elected arms, and how the ‘corrupt politicians’ are part of one large material and ideological whole that includes bureaucrats and internal security establishment? Continue reading Atta Boys, Delhi Police, Again →