Friday, June 6, 2008

Mother India

This just in from the English edition of the Deccan Chronicle:

















No, this is not a story about my exploits in Chennai, thank you very much - if you enlarge the photo and read the story, you'll be given not only the actual full name of the poor girl who was attacked by a new-ish friend after drinking late into the night at one of Chennai's swank hotel bars, but half of her address in Chennai, as well. This so that every man in the city can stalk her, one supposes, since as a drunken debased white chick she's really just asking for it.

Appreciate, also, the random photo of the endangered species turtle accompanying the story. It's a curious fact that English-language Indian newspapers often feature grotesque or otherwise weird-ass photos that have absolutely nothing to do with adjacent stories. Eerily, however, in this case the photo caption "cynosure of all eyes" fits pretty well with the newspaper story - nothing like a titillating story about a debased white chick to sell newspapers.

Of course, this attitude towards the white chick is old, old news to an old India hand like myself; studying yoga here in Mysore for the month at the Astanga Yoga Mothership, however, is completely new to me and it has inspired the mother of all blog posts on white spiritual seeker culture in India - a culture I have observed from afar for many years and in which I am now immersed and possibly drowning. For now, suffice to say that after this month I will feel absolutely, perfectly, and completely entitled to my witheringly scornful opinion of skinny, vegan, Sanksrit-chanting, scooter driving, Om-tattooed trustafarians. Coming soon.

And yes, there has been knitting. I haven't turned the heel yet, so it's probably premature to say so, but these Pomatomus socks aren't all that difficult...


















And finally, a poster for one of Bollywood's less fine recent features. Too good not to share, and sort of on topic in a Blogger labels sort of way:

<-- "She is Eagerly Waiting for you..."




















I bet this debased white chick doesn't have to worry about getting attacked on the way home from the bar.

3 comments:

tara said...

i've looked at that sock pattern before but haven't attempted it yet. glad to hear that is approachable- yet something else to add my list of wips :)

heuretic said...

Odd that there is a picture of a turtle rather than a so-called "swimsuit model" that would have appeared in a Bombay newspaper. Perhaps the Deccan Chronicle has higher standards. Then again, perhaps not.

Unknown said...

Looking forward to tales of Mysore, which I managed to love despite - very much *despite* - the yogaheads. Hope you can manage the same. I envy your access to first-rate dosa in any case.

Overheard on the Green Hotel terrace, over sunset cocktails, a polished English-accented older gent speaking to a young, enraptured acolyte, as the punchline to a story involving German sportscars, nubile models, and the Atlas Mountains:

"And *that* was my first shoot for British Vogue."