Cricketers who play

Apparently a political party here in Bombay has announced that they will not allow Australian cricketers to play their sport in the state of Maharashtra. This, because there has been a series of attacks on Indians in Australia.

This is excellent news.

However, I do have a question.

There have been many attacks on people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar (loosely referred to as "north Indians") in this state. A sample:

* In February 2008, MNS workers assaulted "taxi-drivers, hawkers and ordinary north Indians".

* Also in February 2008, MNS workers vandalised theatres showing Bhojpuri films.

* Still in February 2008, stone-throwing by MNS workers in Nashik during their "anti-North Indian" violence killed a factory worker. (Ironically, a Maharashtrian). Also, in Igatpuri during the same violence, a watchman from Bihar was killed by a mob.

* In October 2008, MNS workers attacked people from the north appearing for a railway exam.

* Still in October 2008, "unidentified men" lynched a migrant labourer from Uttar Pradesh, after asking him if he was a "bhaiyya" from that state.

* In January 2009, MNS workers beat up the North Indians attending a function in Nashik to pay tribute to those killed in the terrorist attacks of November 26 2008.

Etc.

Given all these attacks on people from Uttar Pradesh and other north Indian states, I feel certain that the same political party that is now upset about attacks in Australia applied the same logic and took steps to prevent some particular cricketers from playing some other cricket matches. A sample:

* Delhi vs Mumbai in Delhi in November 2008.

* Uttar Pradesh vs Maharashtra in Kanpur in November 2008.

* Delhi vs Maharashtra in Delhi in December 2009.

But no! I see all these matches were played out. I see that despite attacks by Maharashtrians on people from UP and other parts of North India, this political party did nothing to prevent the Maharashtrians in the Mumbai and Maharashtra teams (and there are several, just as you might find Australians in the Australian teams) from playing those matches.

So here's my question: Why?

Roadrunner: buying it

In response to a few (2.548, if you want to get specific) queries, there are some online places you can order my book, Roadrunner: An Indian Quest in America.

Note that this edition is marked "For sale in the Indian subcontinent only". I'm trying to find a way around this. Until then, I know of one way to ship abroad, so if you live outside India and would like to order the book, leave me a comment with your email address and I'll send you the details.

Here's a list of sellers who will ship the book, but (as far as I can tell) only in India.

* Flipkart, Rs 335 + free shipping.

* Infibeam, Rs 319 + free shipping.

* Vanishbooks, Rs 399 + free shipping.

* Friends of Books, Rs 327 + free shipping.

* eBay India, Rs 339 + Rs 40 shipping.

* ShopOnline, Rs 300 + free shipping (I think.)

* BS Bazaar, Rs 319 + Rs 31 shipping (but intriguingly, it also says "free shipping" on the same page.)

* IndiaPlaza, Rs 319 + Rs 31 shipping (but intriguingly, it also says "may qualify for free shipping" on the same page.)

* Linux Bazar, Rs 399 + Rs 100 shipping, I think. Part of the reason I'm unsure is that this place also claims the book weighs 700 lbs. I am not making this up. Click on "add this to my cart" to see for yourself.

* HarperCollins India (the publisher), Rs 399 + Rs 25 shipping.

* Teksons Books Rs 399 (they also say $9.90). Can't tell what their shipping charge is. They also say they will "deliver where you want."

* Bookvook Rs 319 + Rs 15 shipping.

* India Book Mart Rs 399 + Rs 50 shipping. They also say $10 shipping for sending it outside India. I have not tested this claim.

Roadrunner in Hyderabad

Two events around my book Roadrunner in Hyderabad this weekend. I realize the Jaipur Literature Festival offers a degree of competition, but my suggestion to you is to give up on Roddy Doyle, Alexander McCall Smith, Wole Soyinka and so on and make a beeline instead for Hyderabad.

1) Friday January 22, 615 pm. I'll be speaking to Manthan. My subject is "Find our own Shiloh", and that will be an entry point into the book. Saptaparni, Road 8, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.

2) Saturday January 23, 630 pm. A reading of the book. Introduction by Anvar Alikhan. Reading by The Little Theatre. Akshara Bookstore, Road 3, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.

See you there, or not!

***
Postscript: Great news! Added attraction! Immediately on putting up this post, I got a note from Sridala (Space Bar of The Spaniard in the Works) saying she will be reading with The Little Theatre on Saturday 23rd.

So all you fans of Sridala, please drop your Jaipur plans immediately and come.

Thank you Sridala. I look forward to it.

Roadrunner: American Center

Again I'm putting this up late! Someday I hope to have less on my mind. Someday.

In any case: Thursday Jan 21 (today) 6pm at the American Center (New Marine Lines, near Churchgate station) in Bombay. Joe Campana and Naresh Fernandes in conversation about my book Roadrunner, with me in attendance somewhere.

Be there or be elsewhere!

Haiti

Help Haiti.

Online donations are possible via several agencies, like Medecins sans Frontieres, the Red Cross and others.

You can see a selection on this page and choose one.

In previous disasters in India (Orissa 1999, for one example), I've personally seen MSF personnel doing excellent work.

Yurok, and Jerry

I am honoured to count as a friend a man named Jerry Rao, easily among the sharpest, best-read people I know. He was a successful banker and then an even more successful entrepreneur (Mphasis). In recent years, he has written a number of thought-provoking columns for the Indian Express. I've not always agreed with his views, but he invariably makes me think.

That, I am grateful for.

Last week saw the release of Notes from an Indian Conservative, a collection of his essays in the Express. I wasn't able to go to the event, but I ran into Jerry at a friend's place a couple of days later. He came over with a copy of the book and told me that I find a mention in it.

I'm delighted to be in there, and here's why I am.

A few years ago, Jerry wrote
Fog of political correctness for the Express. This is one of the columns reproduced in the new book.

I felt I had to respond to his arguments, and the Express carried my Hello, the yobs speak no Yurok. (To my surprise, that page did not mention my name as the author of the article. But I assure you it is mine. A slightly different version appeared on India Currents as Do Yobs Speak Yurok?).

In the introduction to this column in the book, he mentions that I disagreed with him.

Any thoughts welcome.

(My blog post from that time: Yobs and Yurok).

Lips

I don't know about bra colours on FB status updates, but I will claim anecdotal evidence that over the last day or two, most women out there are suddenly pretty much turning their lips inside out. To the extent that when I asked one such in the park yesterday to move a little bit because my son was going to be sprinting down that stretch of grass, what I heard was this, as close to verbatim as I can get: "Shoo yo hoyyum!"

I took that for a "yes". The lips would have made a fine vacuum cleaner, were she turned upside down.

My feeling is, all this has to do with this report.

Among other things, how does one get to be on these particular research teams?

Ranjodh, Nitin, Jaspreet, Raju

On December 27, an young man called Ranjodh Singh was murdered and his body partially burned. It was found on December 29.

On January 2, a young man called Nitin Garg was stabbed to death while walking to the restaurant where he worked.

On January 9, a young man called Jaspreet Singh was set on fire while parking his car and is in hospital with 15 per cent burns to his body.

On January 11, a young man called Raju was hacked to death while he walked home from the bakery where he worked.

Question: What connects these four crimes?

All four victims were Indian.

The first happened in Australia.

The second happened in Australia.

The third happened in Australia.

But the fourth happened in India (in Bombay).

The first happened in late 2009.

The second happened in early 2010.

The third happened in early 2010.

But the fourth happened in early 1993.

The first, second and third are the latest in a spate of such crimes in Australia, of the order of two dozen over the last 6 months.

The fourth was one in several hundred such crimes in this city over about 6 weeks, that left about a thousand Indians dead. (And many thousand more maimed and/or driven from their homes).

The first, second and third have prompted demonstrations in India and accusations that this is due to racism in Australia ("Racism is more dangerous than swine flu" says a banner in the photograph on the page first linked below).

The fourth has prompted no such demonstrations and accusations.

The first, second and third have prompted the Indian Government to demand that the guilty be identified and punished. Vayalar Ravi, India's Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, said the Australian authorities must "take action against the culprits behind [the crimes]". He went on: "My suggestion to the Australian government is that please take preventive measures and preventive actions against these anti-social elements ... The police know who are the unwanted and antisocial elements who are resorting to this kind of crime. So why can’t they arrest them in advance and put them behind the bars and even prosecute them?"

The fourth has prompted no demands from the Indian Government, let alone any arrests and prosecutions of those who killed Raju, let alone any arrests and prosecutions of those who killed the rest of the thousand, let alone any arrests and prosecutions of those who egged them on.

Answer: Maybe little connects the four crimes. Maybe more should.

***
More about Raju: Who died alone.

George and the tweet

It's the age of the tweet, apparently.

Sometime yesterday, a regular tweeter reported on his page that George Fernandes had died.

No, he has not. He's in hospital, but he's not dead.

Still, the tweet's out there, uncorrected.

Three more about Roadrunner

Over the last couple of days, three more reviews of my Roadrunner appeared.

In Open, Aayush Soni was critical.

In Tehelka, Sanjay Sipahimalani was (largely) also critical.

In Mint, Sumana Mukherjee was (largely) appreciative.

Comments welcome.

The other country: Bangalore Mirror

Also at one of my Bangalore events last month to interview me regarding my Roadrunner was Jayanthi Madhukar of Bangalore Mirror. She wrote an article about our conversation (that also mentions this blog!) for the Mirror: The other country.

Comments welcome.

Some January 1sts

2010: Charakhala Salt Pans, near Dwarka, Gujarat
2009: Chennai
2008: Two Grey Hills, New Mexico, USA
2007: Bombay
2005: Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu
1995: somewhere in Tamil Nadu
1994: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
1990: Topolobampo, Mexico
1988: 35K feet above MSL
1982: Providence, Rhode Island, USA
1981: Pilani, Rajasthan

Others to be filled in anon, or as memory allows.

Bloggers about Roadrunner

Two bloggers I've known only online turned up at two of my book events in December.

First was Dhimant Parekh, together with his wife Anuradha and their altogether delightful little son, Taksh. They were at the Oxford bookstore in the Leela hotel, Bangalore, on December 12, where I had a session with Shoba Narayan.

Dhimant was kind enough to give me a copy of his own book, Neumonia and Other Sketch Stories, which I recommend you read. My lone objection is that he refused to let me buy it, a blunder I intend to make him regret (ve haff our vays).

Dhimant later wrote a very kind post about our meeting, complete with a handwriting sample (mine): About a writer.

The other blogger was Sumedha J. She came to Crossword bookstore in Saket, Delhi, on December 15, when I was in conversation with Shormishtha Panja, Mani Shankar Aiyar and Nilanjana Roy. (The struggle of getting to and away from that Saket place made me appreciate the 50-60 folks who showed up even more than I would have ordinarily). Without either of us realizing it, it turns out that over the last 15 years, I've regularly visited a spot located no more than a few dozen metres from where Sumedha grew up. Apparently it ain't such a big world at all.

In any case, Sumedha decided to mention her Saket experience on her blog: Long Holiday Post.

Finally, there was a blogger I have met several times IRL. Aditya K found the time to turn up at two of my Bangalore book discussions -- at Reliance Time Out on December 10, and at Oxford on December 12. Unfortunately he could not bring his charming newlywed wife to either place since she had left town for a brief vacation.

Aditya blogged about the discussion at Reliance Time Out: Books that give answers.

PS: For you guys without a clue, IRL means "In Real Life". IMHO.

***
My mistake. Aayush of Scribbles and Stories was at Saket as well. Aayush admitted in public that when he was a journalism student, I once lectured to his class. Word's still out on how much trouble this has landed him in, in his job.

But seriously, thank you for coming, Aayush. Meant something to me to see you there.

Amitava

A writer I admire, and am proud to call a friend, has a post about my Roadrunner. That's Amitava Kumar, writing here. (He's mistaken. That photo really is me).

While you're over at his place, check the news of his new book.

A tale of two democracies: Jetwings

The January issue of Jetwings, the Jet Airways inflight magazine, carries a short review of my Roadrunner. Appended below.

***
A tale of two democracies

If you had to sum up Dilip D’Souza as a writer, perhaps no other statement would do him as much justice as the Henry James quote: "A writer is someone on whom nothing is ever lost." This is a valuable quality in someone who is attempting to understand two of the world’s biggest democracies – India and America – through a prism of objectivity minus its implied attendant detachment. Not an easy task at the best of times; after 9/11, perhaps even more so. As someone who grew up in India and spent close to a decade living and working in pre-9/11 America, D’Souza is perhaps uniquely qualified to write this book. He has experienced the surprise of India’s – often tumultuous – growth over the decade he was away, and the shock of America’s transformation after one tragic day.

Thoughtful, insightful and incisive, this book is a mix of reportage, comment, documentary and travelogue. From finding Gandhi’s philosophy at work in a town in Massachusetts, to drawing parallels between a particularly voluble group of evangelicals and India’s patriotic zealots; from grappling with New York accents, to a short, sad encounter with a run-over roadrunner. Dilip D’Souza has put together a collection of meaningful vignettes of American life as seen through the eyes of an Indian.

One for the road: Hindu

Some stuff to share about my new book, Roadrunner: An Indian Quest in America.

I was in Bangalore in mid-December for a few events around the book, more about that soon. At one of them, Bageshree S interviewed me for her newspaper, the Hindu. It was an enjoyable conversation; she kept me on my toes for a good half hour. What she wrote based on that interview and the book appeared two days ago: One for the road.

Your comments welcome.

Towel available

Long silence from me in this space, mainly because December was such a crazy month filled with travel and preparations and all kinds of stuff. Much to catch up on in the new year, and I hope to get to that as the days go back. But in the meantime, this little story to kick off 2010.

Last October, the family and I spent a night in the VIP room at the Government rest house in Burhanpur in the middle of India. After dinner, I went in search of the attendant. I need a couple towels, I told him. Helpful till then, he looked puzzled by this unexpected demand. Towels! But helpful still, he led me down the corridor to a locked room. Opened it and pointed a crooked finger at the corner, where a large dusty wooden trunk sat. We walked over. He lifted the lid and pulled out a piece of cloth that may once have been white, may once have been a towel.

"It's the only towel we have", he said, "and the other attendant is using it right now. If you don't mind, you can use it too."

As politely as I could, I declined.

I'm not letting on what we did use to dry ourselves after our Burhanpur baths, just in case the Government of Madhya Pradesh decides to come after me for misuse of Government property. But I wish you peace and joy in 2010 and always. As well as clean towels on your travels.