So I'm writing this piece 2 hours before I'm going to see Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire which was released in India yesterday. We're all pretty pleased with the 10 Oscar nominations the film has gotten, including Best Director and Best Picture. It's with great excitement that I'm going to watch the film today.
I first came across Q&A, the book by diplomat Vikas Swarup that the movie is based on in 2006 when I was in Nagpur studing at the Academy. I even wrote a book review for that particular book - which I liked a lot. I love quizzing and it I thought that the book had woven quizzing and the hard reality of life in the slums very well.
I read the reviews for the movie and the criticism regarding how it "portrays a very poor India." What would I have to say about that?
Well, India is a country in transition, with more than 300 million people subsisting on less than a $1 a day. We do have three continents living together on this land mass - the rich, the middle class and the poor. Somehow, cultural norms and a stratified social code keep us in line. Often it seems we've been desensitised to the poverty that surrounds us.
Sometimes though the state of affairs appauls me. The state of bad driving in the country appauls me. The number of road accidents that could have been prevented if drunkards had not been on the road appauls me. The state of healthcare in the country appauls me.
I do my bit though. At least I try. I'm a conscientious citizen. I pay my taxes and help in administering the regime in place. In a way, it is a contribution.
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